PREFACE.
interesting field of municipal history was, until a comparatively L recent time, almost wholly untilled by intellectual labor. How rich and productive this field is, is shown by the hundreds of volumes since published that are devoted to the annals of such corporations and narratives of-the deeds of men who have aided in building them up. The publishers of the History of Savannah refer with pride to the many works of this character which they have been instrumental in giving to the world of readers, and now offer this one to the community of which it treats in no apologetic mood. It is true that the'perfect history of any particular locality has never been written; but it is assumed here and now that this work, devoted .to a historical account of only one of the many municipal corporations of this great country, is in the main all that could be expected, if not in every particular all that could be wished for, from the painstaking effort and the unremitting labor of those who have contributed, directly or indirectly, to its pages. The history of Savannah was never before written, and the details of its annals and those of the territory adjacent to it, were wide-spread among historical volumes of not recent dates, and treating of the whole * or large portions of the country; in the scattered files of newspapers, v new and old; in the musty records of the State, the county, the town and the city, and to some extent in the memories of the few living pioneers. All of these sources have been placed under tribute to pro-

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PREFACE.

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d-jce this volume, and the task as a whole was given into the hands and placed under the supervision of those who were believed to be most competent for its various departments. The history of any city, to be comprehensive and satisfactory, must begin far back beyond the inception of the city itself, and among the pioneers of the broad State of which the municipality finally became a part. For this portion of the History of Savannah, the publishers could not have been more fortunate than in securing the services of Colonel C. C. JONES, the results of whose researches in the Colonial history of the State of Georgia are beyond praise..' The reader will find in those pages of genera! history a faithful and comprehensive narrative of pioneer life in 'this section, in all of its interesting phases, from the arrival on these shores of the Anne in November, 1732, down through the perio'd of Indian occupation and early settlement by white population, to the Declaration of Independence and the exciting times of the Revolutionary war; the development of the locality from that time down to the late war between the North and the South, and the part taken in that great
conflict, by the city.

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Leaving this fruitful field, which has been so generously and meritoriously treated by" its author, the .reader will find the subsequent history of the city divided into various chapters requisite to tell the story'of the birth and growth of all the prominent professions, institu tions and industries that combine to constitute the municipality. The preparation of these Various chapters was confided either to local writers or to others of ample experience in this field of authorship, the greater share of their work passing under the critical inspection of those reside.nts of the city whose occupations and ability would be a guarantee that it was properly done. Thus, the i^istory of the courts and the bar of the city, a topic of uncommon interest, will be found from the earliest time to the present, and the same may be said of the medical profession and its institutions. The commercial and manufacturing industries have

PREFACE.

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received that careful and full treatment that this important feature of every city deserves; while the religious and educational institutions, the transportation facilities, secret societies, and all other departments of the city's history have received the conscientious attention which they merit. * .. The mechanical excellence of the work will commend itself to all. It has been the aim of the publishers in this regard to produce a volume of which every possessor of it would be proud. The engravings in its pages are above criticism, and the biographic pages form a not uninter esting portion of the volume. With the hope that every one into whose hands the History of Savannah may fall, will, in a fair degree, appreciate the magnitude and the difficulties of the task now finished, the .work is here commended to the public by

THE PUBLISHERS.

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CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
Earliest Colonists Under the Conduct of Mr. Oglethorpe—His Eminent Fitness for the Position of Founder of the Contemplated Plantation—Arrival at CharlesTown, and at Beaufort-Town—Selection of Yamacraw Bluff as the Site for Primal Settlement—Description of the Locality—Tomo-ehi-chi, and Oglethorpe's First Interview with him and his Tribe—The Colonists Entertained at Beau fort-Town—Their Arrival and Location at Savannah......................

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CHAPTER II.
Early Labors of the Colonists at Savannah Oglethorpjrs Letters to the Trustees— Generous Aid Extende'd by the Authorities of South Carolina, and Private Bene factions from her Inhabitants—Mutual Dependence of the Two Plantations— Description of Savannah Furnished by Gentlemen from South Carolina—Mr. Oglethorpe's Visit to Charles-Town................... ................ ' 22

CHAPTER III.
Original Cession of Territory from the Crown to the Trustees for Establishing the Col ony of Georgia—Importance of an Early and Amicable Extinguishment of the Indian Title to the Granted Lands—Oglethorpe's PaciBc Policy Toward the Red Men—Tomo-chi-chi, his Character and Influence—Treaty with the Creeks— Articles of Friendship and Commerce'................................... 30

CHAPTER IV.
Arriv il of the Ship «7am«—Fort Argyle Built and Garrisoned—The Villages of HighGate and Hampstead Located and Peopled^—Forts at Thunderbolt and on Skidoway Island—Joseph's Town—Abercorn—Irene—The Horse Quarter—Early Plantations—Manchecolas Fort at Skidoway Narrows—Tybee Lighthouse— Plan of Savannah—Names of its Squares, Streets, Wards, and Tithings—Ar- < rival of Hebrew Immigrants—Deed Showing First Allotment of Town Lots/ Garden Lots, and Farms in Savannah, and Containing the Names of the Orig inal Grantees............................................... ........ 44

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CONTENTS.
CHAPTER V.

Mr. Oglethorpe Visits the Southern Confines of the Province—Arrival of the Saltzburgers and their Location at Ebenezer—Baron Von Reek's Impressions of Sa vannah—Oglethorpe Visits England, and is Accompanied by Tomo-cbi-chi and Other Indians—Influence of this Visit Upon the Native Population—Acts - Passed Prohibitirfg the Introduction of Rum and Negro Slaves—Silk Culture— Arrival of the Moravians and of the Highlanders—Settlements at Darien, at Frederica, and at New Ebenezer—Progress of Colonization—Beacon on Tybee Island—Francis Moore's Description of Savannah......... ..............

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CHAPTER VI.
The Brothers, John and Charles Wesley, in Georgia...

CHAPTER VII.
Causton'g Defalcation—Depressed .Financial Condition of the Province—Industries of the Colonists at Savannah—Composition of Disagreements with the South Carolina Indian Traders, and with the Creeka—Petition from the Bailiffs and Inhabitants of Savannah for an Enlargement of Land Tenures, and for the Intrp*^-duction of Negro Slaves—Opposition on the Part of General Oglethorpe—Mal contents at Savannah........................................... ....

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CHAPTER VIII.
General Oglethorpe addresses the Citizens of Savannah—Military Strength of the Town in 1"39—Death and Burial of Tomo-chi-chi—A Monument should be Erected to his Memory—General Oglethorpe Returns to England—Colonel William Stephens Designated as President of the Colony—Disappointment Ex perienced in all Efforts to Promote Silk Culture and the Growth of the Vine. . 115

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CHAPTER IX.
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Mary and Thomas Bosomworth—Hostile Demonstration by the Creek Indians, in Savannah, in Support of Mary Bosomworth s Pretensions-r-Settlement of her Claim..............A. ...... .............. ........................ 122 i.

CHAPTER X.
Eev. George Whitefield—Bethesda Orphan House—Hon. James Habereham—Scheme to Convert the Bethesda Orphan House ipto a " Seminary of Literature and Academical Learning"—Death of Mr. Whitefield—HU Will—Lady Huntington. 130

CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XI.
Georgia Divided into Two Counties—Colonel William Stephens Appointed Presi dent—His Death at Bewlie—Mr. Parker Succeeds to his Office—Negro Slavery •*—* and the Importation of Spirituous Liquors Permitted—Land Tenures Enlarged*" —Commercial House of Harris & Habereham—First Provincial Assembly— Qualification for Membership—First General Muster—The Trustees Surrender their Charter—Patrick Graham Succeeds Mr. Parker as President of the Colony. 140

CHAPTER XII.
Captain John Reynolds, the first Royal Governor of Geo'rgia—His Report upon the Condition of the Province, and of Savannah in 1754^—Recommends the Re moval of the Seat of Government to Hardwicke—Courts Established in Savan nah—Population and Military Strength of the Province—Governor Reynolds's * Representation for the Defense of Savannah—Governor Henry Ellis—His Ad• mirable Administration of Public Affairs—Georgia Divided into Parishes—Christ —" Church—Act Favoring the Erection of Churches in Sympathy with the Tenets of the Established Church of-England—Legislation with Regard to Savannah— Conference with the Creek Indians—Heat in Savannah—Retirement of Gov ernor Ellis.... .................. .................................... 152

CHAPTER XIII.
Governor James Wright—His Admirable Qualifications for Office—Population and • Military Strength of the Province—Occupations of the Colonists—Condition of* Savannah—Fortifications of the Town—Construction of its Wharves—Health of Savannah—Four Additional Parishes Created—Improvement in the Condi tion of Affairs—Representation in the Provincial Assembly—-Improper Con-"* duct of Chief Justice Grover.................... ......... .............. 169

CHAPTER XIV.
Stamp Act of 1765 — Profound Impression Created in Savannah —Convention of the 2nd of September— Governor Wright's Letters of the 31st of January and the 7th of February, 1776—Declaration of Rights —Stamps Issued in^ Savannah— Joy upon the Repeal of the Act ............................... ...A ...... 176

CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XV.
Marked Improvement in the Condition of the Province—Silk-Culture—Convention of the 3d of September, 1768—Benjamin Franklin Appointed the Agent of Georgia—Meeting of Savannah Merchants on the 16th of September, 17C&— ——Patriotic Resolutions Adopted in Savannah—Non-Importation Agreement— •» Suspension of- the Hon^Jonathan_Brjtan as a Member of Council—Revolution• ary Temper of the Lower House of Assembly—Dr. Noble Wymberly Jones— Governor Wright Visits England—The Hon. James Habersham Governor of Georgia During his Absence..... .—^ . -... ...: ................... .... 186

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CHAPTER XVI.

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The Eighth Provincial Assembly Dissolved ,by Governor Habersham—Governor Wright Complimented with a Baronetcy—Convention of th? 20th of October, 1773—Effect Produced in Syaonah by the Passage of the Boston Port Bill— Meeting of Leading Citizens at Tondee's Tavern on the 27th of July, 1774.— Governor Wright Alarmed at the Revolutionary Movements—Admirable Reso lutions of the 10th of August, 1774—Division of Political Sentiment in Georgia —The Georgia Gazette—Protests from Several Parishes— Parish of St. John— Meeting of the 8th of December, 1774—Provincial Congress of January 18, 1775 —Independent Action, of St. John's Parish—Dr. Lyman Hall—Embarrassing Position of Governor Wnght............................................ 195
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CHAPTER XVII.
News of the Affairs at Lerington and Concord—The Powder Magazine in Savannah Broken Open and much of : the Powder Removed by the Liberty Boys—^The King's Cannon Dismounted—First Liberty Pole in Savannah—Meeting of the • 22d of June—Mob-Law—Capture of Captain Maitland's Powder Ship—Mem orable Provincial Congress of July 4th, 1775—Delegates Appointed to the Continental Congress—Article of Association—Council of Safety—The Militia Purged of ita Loyal Element—Pitiable Plight of Governor Wright—Battalion 'Raised and Officered on the Continental Establishment..................... 210
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.- CHAPTER XVIII.
• ' . T Arrest of Governor Wright by Major Habersham—His Subsequent Escape to the Scarborough—His Confcnunication to the Members of Council still in Savan nah—Provincial Congress of January 22, 1776—Provisional Constitution of April, 1776—President^Archibald Bullocb—First Passage at Anns in Georgia Between the Revolutionises and the King's Forces—Conduct and Resolutions • of the- Council of Safety—Affair on Tybee^Island—Military Assistance from Sooth Carolina.................... ....... ..... .............. I....... 219

CONTENTS.
CHAPTER\ XIX.

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Promulgation, in Savannah, of the Declaration of Independence—King George HL Interred in Effigy—General Charles Lee Plane an Expedition Against East Florida— Constitution pf 1777—Military, and Political Events—The Theater of • ^ - War Transferred to the Southern Department—Reduction of Savannah Re solved upon—Invasion of Georgia by Colonels FuseY and Prevost—Successful Defense of Sunhury by Colonel John Mclntosh—Colonel Campbell's Advance uponr and Capture of Savannah in December, 1778—Detail^ of the Affair— > Losses Sustained by the Rebels............... .... . .\................ 23^

CHAPTER XX.
I' : ' .- .Y ' ' : Proclamations of Colonels Innis and Campbell, and Admiral Parker—Return of Gov ernor Wright—Divided Government in Georgia—The French Alliance—Count d' Estaing—Preparations by the Allied Army to Dislodge the English from Sa vannah—Siege of Savannah in September and October, 1779......... \..... -248 i

» CHAPtER XXI.
The Siege of Savannah* Continued—Assault of the 9th of October, 1779—Repulse of the Allied Army—Count Pulaski—Estimate of Forces Engaged and of Losses Sustained—Names of the Killed _and[Wounded—Lieutenant Lloyd—Sergeant Jasper—Siege Raised—Departure of the French and Americans—War Vessels Composing the French Fleet—General Lincoln's Letter to Congress—Count d' Estaing—Death of Qolonel MaitJand—Pitiable Condition of the Sea Coast of . Georgia.... ...I .................... ........ ................. ....274
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CHAPTER XXII.
Deplorable Plight of the Rebel Inhabitants of Savannah—Damaged Condition of the Town—Proclamation of Governor Wrigh't—Legislation by the Royalist Assem bly—Governor Wright's Representation with Regard to Savannah and its For tifications—Fall of Augusta—Colonels Twiggs and Jackson Move Forward for the Investment of Savannah—General Anthony Wayne Detached by General Green to Reinstate the Authority of the Union within the Limits of Georgia— Retaliatory Measures of General Alured Clarke—Military Operations of Colonel Jackson and General Wayne—Negotiations for the Surrender of Savannah— The Town Evalcuated by the King's Servants—Savannah Again in the Ppteession of the Revolutionists—Legislative Proceedings in Savannah —ColoneK Jack son, and Generals Wayne and Green Complimented—Losses Sustained by Geor- * gia During the Revolutionary War.. ]. ,,.,,..,,..,........,............ 295

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CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XXIII.
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Early Legislation Affecting Savannah—The Town Divided into Wards—Incorpor' ated into a City—Condition of the Place in 1782—Longevity of the Inhabitants— Formation of the Chatham Artillery—Ceremonies Observed upon the Sepulture . of General Nathanael Greene-Death and Burial of General Samuel Elbert— --.4 Demise of the Hon. Jonathan Bryan— Cultivation of Cotton and Bice—Health of Savannah............ ........... ............................... 309

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CHAPTER XXIV.
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General Washington's Visit to Savannah, and the Ceremonies Observed on that Oc casion—Georgia Society of the Order of the Cincinnnati—Severe Fire of 1796 —Fourth of July Celebrations—Death of Major John Habersham—Concluding Observations................ ...... ............. ...... ............. 321

CHAPTER XXV. MUNICIPAL HISTORY.
Visit of Aaron Burr—Severe Storm in 1804—First City Seal—War of 1812—Plans for Defending the City—Rejoicing Over Naval Victories—Reception to Presi dent Monroe—Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1820—Tour of General Lafayette— -. - His Reception in Savannah—Building of Fort Pulaski—Death of Ex-President Jackson—Mexican War—Death of Colonel Mclntosh—Visit of Ex-President Polk--Death of President Taylor—Reception to Ex-President Fillmore—Yellow Fever Epidemic—Destructive Gale in September, 1354..................... .330

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CHAPTER XXVI. THE WAR,PERIOD.

Exciting Event in I860—Secession of South Carolina—Rejoicing in Savannah—Call for a State Convention—Governor Brown's Order—Seizure of Fort Pulaaki— - State Convention in Savannah—Unfurling of the Confederate Flag—Departure of the Oglethorpe Light Infantry—Death of General Bartow—Defenses of Sa vannah—General Lee in Savannah—Attack on Fort Pulaaki—Surrender of the Garrison—Naval Assault on Fort McAllister—Sherman's March from Atlanta —Proclamation by the Mayor—The Federal Army before Savannah—Fort McAlliater Attacked by a Land Force—Graphic Account of the Assault and its .Capture—Plans for Evacuating the City—General Sherman's Demand for the Surrender of Savannah—Evacuation of the City—How the City was Surren dered—General Sherman's Order—Confiscation of Cotton—Destructive Fire of January, 1865—Return of Peace and Prosperity ................ .... . . 3.">6

RAILROADS AND FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS OF SAVANNAH. Central Railroad and Banking Company—History of its Organization and Growth —Ocean Steamship Company—Savannah, Florida and Western Railway—Sa-" vannah and Tybee Railroad—Central Railroad Bank—Merchants' National Bank —Savannah Bank and Trust, Company—Southern Bank of the State of Geor-. gia—National Bank of Savannah—The Oglethorpe Savings and Trust Company —Citizens' Bank—-Title Guarantee and Loan Company—Building and Loan As sociations. ............................'..../...............-.......... 479

CHAPTER I.
* Earliest Colonists under the Conduct of Mr. Oglethorpe—His Eminent .Fitness for the Position of Founder of the Contemplated Plantation—Arrival at Charles-Town and Beaufort-Town—Selection of Yamacraw Bluff as the Site for Primal Settlement—De scription of the Locality—Tomo-chi-chi, and Oglethorpe*s First Interview with him and his Tribe—The Colonists Entertained at Beaufort-Town—Their Arrival and Location at Savannah. .

N the 17th of November, 1732, the Anne, a galley of some two hun dred tons burden, commanded by Captain Thomas, and having on board about one hundred and thirty persons, among whom' were Mr.< Oglethorpe, the Rev. Dr. Henry Herbert, a clergyman of the Church of f England, who volunteered to accompany the colonists and, without pecu niary recompense, to perform all religious services they might need, and Mr. Amatis from Piedmont, engaged to instruct in breeding silkworms and in the art of winding silk, departed from Gravesend bearing the first persons selected by the trustees for the colonization of Georgia. Thirty-* five families were represented among these emigrants. There were car penters, bricklayers, farmers, and mechanics—-all able-bodied men, and of good reputation. It has been idly charged that in the beginning the Georgia colonists were impecunious, depraved/ lawless, and abandoned ;

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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.
that the settlement at Savannah was a sort of Botany Bay; and that Yamacraw Bluff was peopled by runagates from justice. The suggestion is utterly groundless. The truth is no applicant was admitted to the privilege of enrollment, as an emigrant, until he had been subjected to a preliminary ewfrrination and had furnished satisfactory evidence that he was fairly entiled to the benefits of the charity. Other American col onies were founded and augmented by individuals coming at will, with out question, for personal gain, and bringing no certificate of present or • past good conduct Georgia, on the contrary, exhibits the spectacle at I once unique and admirable, of permitting no one, at the outset, to enter her borders who was not, by competent authority, adjudged worthy the . -. ' • rights of citizenship. - ' 3f At his own request Mr. Oglethorpe was selected to accompany the colonists and establish them in Georgia. "He volunteered to bear his own expenses* and to devote his entire time and attention to the consumm • mation of the enterprise. Himself the originator and the most zealous advocate of the scheme, this offer on his part placed the seal of consecra tion upon his self-derfial, patriotism, and enlarged philanthropy. Most fortunate were the trustees in securing the services of such a representa tive. To no one could the power to exercise the functions of a colonial governor have been more appropriately confided. 'Attentive to the voice of suffering, and ready to lend a helping hand wherever the weak and the oppressed required the aid of the more powerful and the nobleminded for the redress of wrongs and the alleviation of present ills ; "in the prime of life, very handsome, tall, manly, ctignified, but not austere ; the beau ideal of an English gentleman, and blessed with ample means for the gratification of every reasonable desire;" possessing a liberal education, a fearless soul, a determined will, a tireless energy, a practical knowledge of military affairs and of the management.of expeditions, and an experience of men and climes and matters which only years of care ful observation, intelligent travel, and thoughtful study could supply, there was that about his person, character, attainments, and abilities,, swhich inspired confidence and rendered Mr. Ogletitbrpe, beyond dispute, the man of bis age and people best qualified to inaugurate and to con., duct to a successful issue an enterprise so entirely in unison with his own philanthropic, ^sentiments and so important to the interests both of Eng land and America.

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FIRST COLONISTS.
Shaping her course for the Island of Madeira, the Anne touched there and took on board five tuns of wine. Sailing thence, she fetched a com- / pass for Charlestown harbor, where she dropped anchor outside the bar on the 13th of January, .1733. Although somewha^protracted, the voy age had proved pleasant and prosperous. The death of two delicate children in mid-ocean constituted the only sorrow Jwhich clouded the hearts of the colonists during the entire passage. •'On the night of their arrival, having assembled the emigrants and returned thanks to Almighty God for this favorable terminati6n ,of the voyage, Mr. Oglethorpe, accompanied by an escort, proceeded to Char lestown and waited upon his excellency, Robert Johnson, governor of the province of South Carolina. By him and his council was he warmly welcomed and treated with marked hospitality. Cheerfully responding to his needs, Governor Johnson ordered Mr. Middleton, the king's pilot, to attend upon Mr. Oglethorpe and to conduct the Anne into Port Royal. Instructions were also issued for small craft to be in readiness to 'convey the colonists thence to the Savannah River. The next morning, Mr. Oglethorpe having returned on board, the Anne sailed for Port Royal ' , - • harbor. Having posted a detachment of eight men upon an island about mid way between Beaufort and the Savannah River, with instructions to "pre pare huts for the reception of the colony against they should lie Acre in their passage," he proceeded to Beaufortitown, where he arrived early on the morning of the ipth. Here he was saluted by the artillery; and, at his request the new barracks were made ready for the reception of the colonists, who ascended the river and occupied them on the following • : day. Leaving the colonists to refresh themselves at this pleasant place, Mr. Oglethorpe, accompanied by Colonel William Bull, of South Carolina, proceeded to the Savannah River and ascended that stream as high as Yamacraw Bluff. Regarding this as an eligible location, he landed and marked out the site of a town which, after the river flowing by, he named Savannah. This bluff, rising some forty feet above the level of the river and" possessing a bold frontage on the water of nearly a mile, sufficiently ample for the riparian uses of a settlement of considerable magnitude, was the first high ground, abutting upon the stream, encountered by him

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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

in its ascent To the south a high and dry plain, overshadowed by. pines, interspersed with live-oaks and magnolias, stretched away for a consid erable distance. On the east and west were, small creeks and swamps affording convenient drainage for the intermediate territory. The river in front was capable of floating ships 'of ordinary tonnage, and they could lie so near the shore that their cargoes might with facility be dis charged. Northwardly, in the direction of Carolina, lay the rich delta of the river, with its islands and lowlands crowned with a dense growth vof cypress, sweet-gum, tupelo, and other* trees, many of them vine-cov ered and draped in long gray moss swaying gracefully hi the ambient air. The yellow jessamine was already mingling its delicious perfume with the breath of the pine, and the trees were vocal with the voices of song-birds. Everything in this semi-tropical region was quickening into life and beauty under the reviving influences of returning spring. In its primeval repose it seemed a goodly land. ' The temperate rays of the sun gave no token of the heat of summer. There was no promise of the tornado and the thunder-storm in th^ gentle winds. In the balmy air lurked no suspicion of malarial fevers. Its proximity to the mouth of the river rendered this spot suitable alike for commercial purposes add for maintaining facile communication with the Carolina Settlements. Near by was an Indian village, the headquarters of the Yamacraws, a small tribe, the chief or mico of which'was the venerable Tomo-chi-chi. Here TOO a post ha£ been established by Musgrove.J a Carolina trader, married to a half breed named Mary. Before leading his colonists t» this home which he had selected for "their first habitation, Oglethorpe was anxious to propitiate the natives, fie accordingly visited the village, and obtained an interview with Tomp-chi-chi. Mary Musgrove, who had acquired a tolerable knowledge of fj^nglish and was favorably inclined ^toward her husband's countrymen, o* this occasion not only acted as interpreter but exerted a valuable influence in securing from the Indians pledges of amity. When first acquainted with Oglethorpe's design of forming a settlement at Yamacraw the natives manifested much uneasi ness and even threatened to prevent by force the advent of die whites.
1 Mosgrove's presence here contravened the stipulations of a treaty long existent be tween the colony of Sooth Carolina and the nacres, which forbade the establishment «f trading-posts south of the Savannah River.

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ARRIVAL AT SAVANNAH.
Assured, however, of the friendly intentions of the English, .and pergoaded of the benefits which would flow from direct association with them, the Indijms finally withdrew their opposition -and, with protesta tions of gladness, entered into an informal agreement by which the de-sired lands were ceded, and promises given to receive the strangers with . . • . . good will. 1 His preliminary arrangements having been thus accomplished, Ogle thorpe returned to Beaufort, reaching the town on the 24th. During his absence the emigrants were greatly refreshed by their sojourn on shore. They had been the recipients of every attention and hospitality. The following Sunday was observed as a day of special thanksgiving; the Rev. Lewis Jones preaching before the colonists, and their chaplain, the Rev. Dr. Herbert, occupying Mr. Jones's pulpit in Beaufort The gen tlemen of the neighborhood united with the colonists on this occasion, and the ceremonies terminated with a bountiful dinner provided by Oglethorpe. Among the articles mentioned a* constituting this first-feast were four fat hogs, eight turkeys, many fowls, English beef, a hogshead -of punch, a hogshead of beer, and a generous quantity of wine. Al though this repast was accompanied with a bountiful supply of malt liquor, wine, and spirits, we are informed that everything was conducted in such an agreeable manner that no one became drunk. Throughout -the course of the entertainment there was an entire absence of every . thing savoring of disorder. On the 3oth of January the colonists, conveyed in a sloop of seventy tons and in five periaguas, set sail for Savannah. Encountering a storm -they were forced to seek shelter from its violence at a point known as Look Out. Here they lay all night, and the next day proceeded as far -as John's, where the eight men, there stationed by Oglethorpe, had pre pared huts for their reception. A plentiful supply of venison awaited their coming. Upon this they supped, and there they spent the night Re-embarking in the morning, they arrived the same afternoon at Yamacraw Bluff. Before dark they erected four large tents (one for each tything) capable of accommodating all the people, and transferred their bidding and other necessaries ashore. There they slept, passing tneir ^ :first night upon .the soil of Georgia. Faithful to his trust, Oglethorpe, having posted his sentinels, sought

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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

no protection save the shelter of the towering pines, and lay upon the ground near the central watch-fire. The ocean had been crossed, and the germ of a new colony was planted in America.

CHAPTER II.
Early Labors of the Colonists at Savannah—Oglethorpe's Letters to the Trustees— Generous Aid Extended by the Authorities of South Carolina, and Private Benefac tions from her Inhabitants—Mutual Dependence of the Two Plantations—Description of Savannah Furnished by Gentlemen from South Carolina—Mr. Oglethorpe's Visit toCharles-Town.
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YEARLY on the morning of the 2d of February, I733-(O. S.), Ogle\2j thorpe convened the people to thank God for his safe conduct of the colony to its appointed destination, and to invoke his blessings upon the plantation. % These religious services ended, he solemnly and earnestly'reminded them of their duties as the founders of Georgia, impressing upon them an appreciation of the important fact that the seed now sown would yield a harvest either for good or bad in the coming generations. Against the evite of intemperance and idleness he uttered an emphatic warning, and cautioned them to be prudent and upright in their inter course with the Indians. " It is my hope," said he, " that through your good example the settlement of Georgia may prove a blessing and not a curse to the native inhabitants." Then having explained the necessity^ for their laboring in common until the site of the town should be cleared,. x and having exhorted and encouraged thejn to work amicably and cheer fully, he dismissed them that they, might enter upon the orderly discharge of the duties claiming immediate attention. 1 Some were detailed for the erection"of a crane with which to facilitate the'landing of bulky articles. Others plied axes and felled the tall pines, rendering more comfortable the temporary shelters prepared so hastily the evening before for the ac commodation of the emigrants, and busying themselves with the erection
'•See Wright's Memoir of General Oglttkorpe, p.' 60. London. 1867.

OGLETHORPE'S LETTERS TO THE TRUSTEES.

23

of new booths. Others still were detailed to unload the vessels, to split and sharpen posts with which to stockade the town, and to begin the con struction of a fort at the eastern extremity of the bluff. Varied and ardu ous were these duties, but all with alacrity and energy entered upon and prosecuted their performance. Sharing the privations and the labors of his people, Oglethorpe was present everywhere, planning, supervising, and •encouraging. The general outline of Savannah was soon indicated. In marking out its squares, lots, and streets, the founder of the colony was •assisted by Colonel William Bull of South Carolina, a gentleman of intel ligence and experience, who generously lent four of his servants, expert sawyers, to aid in preparing boards for houses. Oglethorpe claimed in his own behalf and for his own comfort no labor from the colonists. He caused four clustering pines to be left standing near the bluff and opposite the center of the encampment. Beneath their shadow He pitched his tent, and this canvass was his abiding-place for nearly a year. Subsequently he contented himself with hired lodgings in one of the houses of his people. Upon his arrival at Charlestown on the 13th of January, Oglethorpe addressed a letter to the trustees communicating the happy intelligence, and on the roth of February, from his camp in Savannah, penned his first communication on Georgia soil. It runs as follows:

" To the Trustees for establishing the Colony of Georgia in America :
*' GENTLEMEN,—I gave you an Account in my last of our Arrival at Charles-Town. The Governor and Assembly have given us all possible Encouragement. Our People arrived at Beaufort on the 2oth of January where I lodged them in some new Barracks built for the Soldiers, while I went myself to view the Savannah River. I fix'd upon a healthy situa tion about ten miles from the sea. The River here forms a Half-Moon, along the South-Side of which the Banks are about forty Foot high, and on the Top a Flat which they call a Bluff. The plain high Ground ex tends into the Country five or six Miles, and along.the River-side about a Mile. - Ships that draw twelve Foot Water can ride within ten Yards of the Bank. Upon the River-Side, in the Centre of this Flam, I have laid out the Town. Opposite to it is an Island of very rich Pasturage, which I think should be kept for theTrustees* Cattle. The "River is pretty wide, the Water fresh, and from the Key of the Town you see .its whole Course

\

HISTORY OF SAVANHAH.
to the Sea, with the Island of Tybe, which forms the Mouth of the River; and the other way you see the River for about six Miles up into the Country. The Landskip is very agreeable, the Stream being wide, and border'd with high Woods on both Sides. The whole People arrived here on the first of February. At Night their Tents were got up. Till the seventh we were taken up in unloading and making a Crane which j then could not get finish'd, sotook off the Hands, and sent some to the Fortification and began to fell the woods.- I mark'd out the Town and Common. Half of the former is already cleared, and the first House was * .begun Yesterday in the Afternoon. Not being able to get Negroes, I have taken ten of the Independent Company to work for us, for which I make them an allowance. I send you a copy of the Resolutions of the Assem bly and the Governor and Council's Letter to me. Mr Whitaker has given us one hundred Head of Cattle. Col. Bull, Mr Barlow, Mr S* Jul ian, and Mr Woodward are to come up to assist us with some of their own Servants. I am so taken up in looking after a hundred necessary Things, that I write now short, but shall' give you a more particular Account hereafter. A little Indian Nation, the only one within fifty Miles, is not only at Amity, but desirous to be Subjects to his Majesty King George, to have Lands given them among us, and to breed their Children at our Schools. Their Chief, and his Beloved Man, who is the Second Man in the Nation, desire to be instructed in the Christian Religion. "I am, Gentlemen "Your Most Obedient, Humble Servant,

" JAMES OGLETHORPE."
In token of the general interest in the success of this new plantation, the authorities of South Carolina not content with simply adopting res olutions of welcome and making protestations of friendship dispatched Captain McPhersoo with fifteen rangers to cover the new settlement in Georgia, and protect it "from any insults that might be offered by the In* dtans until the colonists shonld have enfort'd themselves." A scout-boat, perriaguas, breeding cattle, hogs and rice were placed, at the public charge, at the disposal of MF. Oglethorpe. 1 This early and acceptable aid
1 Reasons fir Establishing the Colony of Georgia vnth Regard to the Trade of - 6rt*i Britain, etc, pp. 43-46. London. MDCCXXXlil.

AID EXTENDED BY CAROLINA.
•extended by the Province of Carolina was supplemented by the private •benefactions of her inhabitants* Thus Colonel Bull, with four of his serv ants, came to Savannah and spent a month there, supervising the work of the sawyers, designating the proportions of the buildings, surveying tfec lots, and rendering various services of a most valuable character. From , Mr. Whittaker and his friends were received one hundred head of cattle •a free gift to the colony. Mr. St Julian for several weeks directed the people in erecting their houses and advancing the settlement A stiver boat and spoon, presented by Mr. Hume to the first child born on Geor gia soil, were awarded to Mrs. Close. For two months Mr. Joseph Bryaa ', gave his personal attention and the labor of four of his servants, who* were sawyers, to the construction of the rising town. Sixteen sheep were donated by the inhabitants of Edisto Island. Mr. Hammerton contrib uted a drum. Mrs. Ann Drayton loaned four of her sawyers, and Colo nel Bull and Mr. Bryan furnished Mr. Oglethprpe with twenty servants to be employed in such manner as he deemed most advantageous. Gov ernor Johnson presented seven horses. This is but a partial list of the individual aid and personal gifts contributed by South Carptinians to the first settlers at Savannah. * Well knowing that the planting of this colony to the South- would •essentially promote the security of Carolina, shielding that province from the direct assaults of the Spaniards in Florida, preventing the facile escape of fugitive slaves, guarding her lower borders from the incursions of Indians, increasing commercial relations, and enhancing the value of lands, the South Carolinians were very solicitous for the promotion of the prosperity of Georgia. The mutual sympathy and dependence of the twp plantations were expressed by a contributor to the Louden Magazine in the following lines: Q
-—-^" To Carolina be a Georgia joined, Then shall both colonies sure progress make, , Endeared to eitber'for the other's sake; Georgia shall Carolina's favour move. And Carolina bloom by Georgia's love." - •' >

The following extract from a letter penned by Mr. Ogletttorpe at Sa vannah, on the 2Oth of February, 1733, and addressed to the "Trustees for establishing the Colony of Georgia in America," advises us of his fur ther impressions of Yamacraw Bluff: *

\

HISTORY OP SAVANNAH.
^

" Our People are all in perfect Health. I chose the situation for the Town upon an high Ground forty Foot perpendicular above High-Water Mark: The Soil dry and Sandy, the Water of the River fresh, Springscoming out from the Sides of the Hills. I pitch'd on this Place not on|y for the Pleasantness of its Situation, but because from the* above-mention'd and other Signs I thought it Healthy, for it is shelter'd from the Western and Southern Winds (the worst in this Country) by vast Woods• of Pine-trees many of which are an hundred, and few under seventy Foot high: There is no Moss on the Trees, tho' in most parts of Carolina they are cover'd with it, and it hangs down two or three Foot from them; The last and fullest Conviction of the Healthfulness of the Plac-i was that an Indian Nation, who know the Nature of this Country, chose it for their Habitation." 1 In his next communication, under date of March i?th, he conveys the. following information m regard to the extent of the province, the temper of the aboriginal population, and the progress of colonization: "This Province is much larger than we thought, being 120 miles from this river to the Alatamaha. The Savannah has a very long course, and a great trade is carried on by the Indians, there having above twelve trad ing boats, passed since I have been here. There are in Georgia, on this side the mountains, three considerable nations of Indians; one called the Lower Creeks, consisting of nine towns, or rather cantons, making about a thousand men able to bear arms. One of these is within a short dis tance of us and has concluded a peace with us, giving us the right of all this part of the Country; and I have "marked out the lands which they have reserved to themselves. Their King 2 comes constantly to Church, is desirous to be instructed in the Christian religion, and has given me his nephew,3 a boy who is his next heir, to educate. The two oth.er 'Nations are the Uchees and the Upper Creeks: the first consisting of two hun dred, the latter of eleven hundred men. We agree so well with the In dians that the Creeks and the Uchees have referred to me a difference to determine which otherwise would have occasioned a war.
1 Reasons for- Establishing the Colony of Georgia -stith Regard to the Trade of Great Britain, etc,, p. 48. Ldndon. JfDCCXXXiIl. "Tomo-chi-chi.- , • ,. /./•.,. - * Toonahowi -, : • ,, . .

OGLETHORPE'S LETTER.

27

" Our people still He in tents, there being; only two-clap-board houses built and three sawed houses framed. Our crane, our battery cannon, -and magazine are finished. This is all that we have been able to do by reason of the smallness of our number, of which many have been sick and others unused to labor; though I thank God, they are now pretty well, -and we have not lost one since our arrival here." In the South Carolina Gazette cf March 22, 1733, may be found the following account of a visit paid by < ome Carolina gentlemen to Mr. Oglethorpe: • ~ "On Tuesday, the I3th Instant, I went on board a Canoe, in com'pany with Mr George Ducat and Mr. John Ballantine, with foux Negroes; • -and about 10 o'clock we set off from Mr Lloyd's Bridge for Georgia and, passing by Port Royal on Wednesday Night we arrived on Friday Morn ing an Hour before Day at Yammacraw, —* a Place so called by the In dians, but now Savannah in the Colony of Georgia. Some time before we came to the Landing the Centinel challenged us, and understanding who we were, admitted us ashore. 'This is a very high Bluff,—Forty Feet perpendicular frorh High-water Mark. ' It lies, according to Cap tain Gascoigne's OSservations, in the Latitude 31:58. which he took off Tybee, an island that lies at the Mouth of the Savannah River. It is dis tant from Charles- Town S. W. according to the Course and Windings of the Rivers and Creeks, about 140 Miles; but, by a direct Course, 77, al lowing Sullivants Island to be in the Latitude 32:47: from Augustine N E and by E about 140 Miles, and by the Course of the Rivers is distant from Fort Moore 300 Miles; but upon a direct Line but 115 Miles N. W
-and by W. This Bluff is distant 10 Miles from the Mouth of the Rivers

-on the South Side; and Panysburgh is 24 Miles above it on the North, and is so situated that you have a beautiful Prospect both up and down the River. It is very sandy and barren, and consequently- a wholesome Place for a Town or City. There are on-it 130 odd souls; and from the Time they embarqued at London to the Time I left the Place there died <but two'sucking Children, and they at Sea. When they arrived, there was standing on it a great Quantity of. the best Sorts of Pine, most of which is already cut down on the Spot where the Town is laid out to be
-built The Land is barren about a Mile back, when you come into very rich Ground; and on both Sides within a Quarter of a Mile of the Town

HisroRT OF SAVANNAH.
is choice, good Planting Land. Colonel Bull told me that he had been Seven Miles back, and found it extraordinary good. "Mr Qglethorpe is indefatigable, takes a vast deal of Pains; his fare is&«t indifferent, having little else at present but salt Provisions: He is ex tremely well beloved by all his People; the general Tide they give him is Father. If any of them is sick he immediately visits them and takes a great deal of Care of them. If .any difference arises, he is the Person that decides it Two happened while I was there, and in my Presence; and all the Parties went away, to outward Appearance, satisfied and con tented with his Determination. He keeps a strict Discipline; I neither saw one of his People drunk or heard one swear all the Time I was there; , He does not allow them Rum, but in lieu gives them English Beer. It is surprising to see how chearfully the Men go to work, considering they have not been bred to it; There are no Idlers there ; even the Boys and Girls do their Parts. There are Four Houses already up but none finish'd; and he hopes when he has got more Sawyers, which I suppose he will have in a short time, to finish two Houses a Week. He has ploughed tip some Land, part of which he sowed with Wheat, which is come up and looks ^remising. He has two or three Gardens which he has sowed with divers Sorts of Seeds, and planted Thyme, with other Sorts of Potherbs, Sage, Leeks, Skellions, Celeri, Liquorice, &c, and several Sorts of Fruit trees. He was palisading the Town round, including some Part of the Common, which I do suppose may be finish'd in a Fortnight's time. In short he has done a vast deal of Work for the Time, and I think hi» 2fame Justly deserves to be immortalized. " Mr Oglethorpe has with him Sir Walter Raleigh's written Journal^ and, by the Latitude of the Place, the Marks and Tradition of the Indi ans, it is'the very,first Place where he went ashore and talked with the Indians, and was the'first Englishman that ever they saw: And about featfa Mile from Savannah is a high Mount of Earth under which lies their chief King; and the Indians informed Mr Oglethorpe that the Kingdesired, before he died, that he might be buried on +he Spot where he talked with that great good Man. "The KJver Water is very good, and Mr Oglethorpe has proved it sevoral Ways and thinks it as good as the River of Thames. On Monday the Igtii we took our Leave of Mr Oglethorpe at Nine o'Clock in the Morn-

VISIT TO CHARLESTOWN.
ing and embarked for Charles Town ; and when we set off he was pleased to honour us with a Volley of small Arms, and the Discharge of Five Cannon: And coming down the Rivers, we found the Water perfectly fresh Six Miles below the Town, and saw Six or Seven large Sturgeon leap, with which Fish that River abounds, as also with Trout, Perch, Cat, and Rock Fish &c, and in the Winter Season there is Variety of WildFowl, especially Turkeys, some of them weighing Thirty Founds, and abundance of Deer." 1 In the absence of saw-mills the labor of converting the pine logs intohewn timber and boards was tedious* arid severe. Nevertheless the work progressed, and one by one frame houses were builded. As rapidly as they were finished the colonists were transferred from tents into these more permanent and comfortable lodgings. A public garden waslaid out and a servant detailed at the charge of the trust to cultivate it This was to serve as a nursery whence might be procured fruit trees* ' vines, plants, and vegetables for the private orchards and gardens of the inhabitants. It was also largely devoted to the propagation of the white mulberry, from the. general cultivation of which, as food for the silk : worm, great benefit was anticipated. Sensible of the courtesies and valuable assistance extended by the in : habitants of South Carolina, both in their public and private capacity, Mr. Oglethorpe repaired to Charlestown to return thanks in behalf of hiscolony, and to interest his neighbors still further in the welfare and the development of the infant plantation. His visit was most agreeable. . Honorable welcome was accorded to him. His expressions of gi atitude in behalf of Georgia were graciously received, and he returned to Savan nah with a strong impression of the friendship existing between the col onies, and of the readiness of Carolina to assist her feeble sister in sea sons of distress and of peril.
1 An account showing the Progress of the colony of Georgia in America from iff first establishment, pp. 41, 4.2. London. MDCCXLI.

j '1 ' j ,

N •

, -

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

CHAPTER Til.
Original Cession of Territory from the Crown to the Trustees for Establishing' the Colony of Georgia—Importance of an Early and Amicable Extinguishment of the In dian Title to the Granted Lands—Ogtethorpe's Pacific Pobcy Toward the Red Men— Tomo-dri-chi, his Character and Influence—Treaty with the Creeks.—Ankles of Friendship and Commerce.
t

P will be remembered that the grant from his majesty, King George II. to the "trustees for establishing the colony of Georgia in Ameri ca " covered seven-eights of all lands " in that part of South Carolina in America " lying " from the most northern part of a stream or river, there •commonly called the Savannah, all along the seacoast to the southward, •unto the most southern stream of a certain other great water or river called the Alatamaha, and westerly from the heads of the said rivers re spectively, in direct lines, to the South Seas." That cession also in cluded all islands within twenty leagues of the coast The remaining one-eighth part of this territory was "acquired .by the trustees by pur chase from Lord Carteret, -Baron of Hawnes. It became important at the outset to establish friendly relations with the native population and, by treaty, to extinguish the Indian title to the region. Irrnothing were the prudence, wisdom, skill, and ability of the founder of the colony of Georgia more conspicuous than in his conduct toward and his treatment of the red men. The ascendancy he acquired over them, the respect they entertained for, and the confidence they reposed , in him, the 'manly, generous, and just policy he ever maintained in his intercourse with the Indian tribes are remarkable. Their favor was es sential to the security of the settlement Their friendship was necessary to its existence. In the beginning, .few in nunfbers and isolated in po sition, a hostile breath would have blown it into nothingness. As claim ants of the soil by virtue of prior occupancy it was of vital consequence that the title which they asserted to these their homes and hunting grounds should, at the earliest moment, be peaceably and formally ex tinguished. A resort to the sword in vindication of England's dominion over this

I

FRIENDLY VISIT WITH THE INDIANS.

<

31

••-_•

territory would have led at once to ambush, alarm, and bloodshed. The adoption of a violent and coercive policy towards the .aborigines'would have aroused their hostility and imperiled the success of the plantation. Recognizing that the plan of conciliation was the proper one to be pur sued, Mr. Oglethorpe shaped his course accordingly. * : It wfll not be forgotten that upon his preliminary survey of the region when, in company with Colonel Bull, he selected a spot for primal setdement, he sought an interview with Tomo-chi-chi and, by friendly offersand kind arguments, won the favor of that chief and his tribe and ob tained their consent that die expected colonists should occupy Yamacraw 'Bluff. A few days afterwards, when the emigrants did arrive, true to hispromise, this 'aged mico, at the head of his little band, welcomed the ' newcomers at the water's edge; and, when their tents were pitched upon . ' , the shore, repeated his salutations. Of the ceremonies observed on this - j occasion the following account has been preserved: In front advanced the " Medicine Man," bearing in each hand a fan of white feathers—the ' symbols of peace and friendship. Then came Tomo-chi-chi and Scenauki, his wife, attended by a retinue of some twenty members of the tribefilling the air with shouts. Approaching Oglethorpe, who advanced a -few paces to meet them, the medicine man, or priest, proclaiming the while the brave deeds of his ancestors, stroked the governor on every side with his fans,—apt emblems of amity.. This done, the king and queen drew near and bade him and his followers welcome. After an interchange of compliments the Indians were entertained as hospitably as the means at command would allow. This acquaintance with Tomo-chi-chi ripened into a friendship close and valuable. That the Indians in the neighborhood might be impressed, with the power and military skill of the emigrants, Oglethorpe frequently, when the opportunity offered, exercised the colonists in their presence in the manual of arms, in marching and in firing, and sometimes rou»J the . , forests from their slumbers by the thunders of his cannon. Well did he / know that such exhibitions of superior power would exert a potent in- I . / uence upon the minds of the red men and engender a respect for the / ogiish all the more wholesome because commingled, with fear. / The situation of this feeble'colony was, in the very nature of things,.

-^ \

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.
•extremely precarious. Located in the depths of a primeval forest, the tangled brakes and solemn shadows of which proclaimed loneliness and isolation ; the vast Atlantic rolling its waters between it and the mother •country; the Carolina settlements at best few in numbers and contend ing in a stern life struggle for their own existence; Spaniards in Florida jealqus of this disputed domain, and. ready at any moment to frustrate l>y stealthy approaches and with force of arms all efforts of the English to extend their plantations along the Southern coast; and, above all, Indian tribes in the occupancy of the country attached to their grand old .woods and gently flowing streams, watchful of the graves of their ances tors, imposed upon by Spanish lies, disquieted by French emisaries, cheated by Carolina traders, and,naturally inclined to resist all encroach ments by the whites upon their hunting-grounds, it did indeed appear that the preservation and development of this colony were well- nigh im possible. But its planting and perpetuation had been confided to the guardian care of one who was, perhaps, beyond all others, most capable -of conducting" the enterprise. ' In his efforts to'conciliate the native population, he derived incalcula ble benefit from the friendship and kindly intervention of Tomo-chi-chi. This chief, whose memory is so honorably associated with the early his tory of Georgia, and whose many acts of kindness and fidelity to the whites demand and must ever receive the most grateful acknowledgment, although at this time far advanced in years, was a man of commanding presence, grave demeanor, marked character, established influence, of a philosophical turn of mind, and in the full possession of all his faculties. For some cause, the precise nature of which has never been fully ex plained, he had, with a number of his countrymen, suffered banishment

-at die hands of his people, the Lower Creeks. Whatever the real reason may have been for this action on the part of the Creeks toward Tomochi-chi, it does not seem, that h was the result of any special ill-will, or ,that the expatriation was a punishment either for specific crime or gene ral misconduct The probability is that be weat iato voluntary exile for 4i seaaom, or that he may have ben temporarily expeiled the limits of on ai'i'ftimt' of some political <*i^wrf*>H^r>frt, the great chief of the CXOMat, claimed kinship with him, and saluted kto .a* a good ma* aad a disti«gm«bed warrior. -1
_c -

FRIENDSHIP OF THE INDIANS.

33

Removing from his former abode, after some wanderings he* finally, and not very long before the arrival of the colony of Georgia, formed a settlement at or very near the present site of the city of Savannah, where he gathered about him the tribe of Yamacraws, consisting mainly of dis affected parties from the Lower Creeks, and, to some extent, of Yemassee Indians, by whom he was chosen mico, or chief. Prior to his removal to Yamacraw Bluff he tarried for a season with the Palla-Chucolas. But little can be gathered of his life previous to his acquaintance with Oglethorpe. Ninety-one years had been, amid the forest shades, devoted to the pursuits of war and the chase, and there is scarcely a tradition winch wrests from oblivion the deeds and thoughts of this aged chieftain dur ing that long and voiceless period. During the visit which he subsequently made to London, in company with Oglethorpe, his portrait was painted by'Verelst, and hung for many years in the Georgia rooms. This likeness, which represents him in a standing posture with his left hand resting upon the shoulder of his nephew and adopted son, Toonahowi, who holds an eagle in his arms, ' / was subsequently engraved by Faber and also by Kleinsmidt That Tomo-chi-chi was noble in his connections we are fully advised, and f there is that about the countenance of this veijerable mico, as it has thus been handed down to us, which savors of intellect, dignity, manliness, * and kingly bearing. • . • It will readily be perceived how important it was to the interests of the colony that the good will of this chief should be secured at the earliest moment, and his consent obtained for the peaceable occupation of the soil by the whites. On the occasion of his first interview with Tomo-chi-chi, as -we have already seen, Mr. Oglethorpe was fortunate in • securing the services of Mary Musgrove 1 as an interpreter. Perceiving that she possessed considerable influence with the Creeks, he retained her in this capacity, allowing her an annual compensation of ^£100. * The meeting between the governor of the colony and the aged mico beneath the grand live-oaks and towering pines, the sheltering arms of which formed a noble canopy, was frank, cordial, and satisfactory. His per sonal friendship and the good will of the Yamacraws were firmly pledged,
1 Her Indian name was Coosaponakesee.
* . •• • ' *

34

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

and permission was granted for the permanent occupation of the site selected by Oglethorpe for the town of Savannah. Although amicable relations had thus been established with the near est Indians, it was necessary, in order to promote the security of the colony, that consent to its foundation here should be ratified by other . , ' and more powerful nations. Leamiug from Tomo-chi-chi the names and the abodes of the most influential chiefs dwelling within the territory ceded by the charter, Mr. Oglethorpe enlisted the good offices of the mice in extending to them an earnest invitation to meet him at Savannah at some^ early convenient day. -The value of these interviews with and the generous intervention of Tomo-chi-chi cannot easily be overestimated in considering their in fluence upon the well-being and prospects of this lonely colony strug gling for its primal existence. Had this chief, turning a deaf ear to the advances of Mr. Oglethorpe, refused his friendship, denied bis request, and, inclining his authority to hostile account, instigated a determined and combined opposition on the part not only of the Yamacraws, but also of the Uchees and the Lower Creeks, the perpetuation of this En glish settlement wotfld have been either most seriously imperiled or abruptly terminated amid smoke and carnage. When, therefore, we recur to the memories of this period, and as often as the leading events in the early history of the colony of Georgia are narrated, so often should xperienced at the hands of this Indian chief be gratefully acIf Oglethorpe's proudest claim to the honor and the re spect of succeeding generations rests upon the fact that he was the founder of the colony of Georgia, let it not be forgotten by those who accord him every praise for his valor, judgment, skill, endurance, and benevolence, that in the hour of supreme doubt and danger the right arm of this son of the forest and his active friendship were among the surest guarantees of the safety and the very existence of that colony. The en during and universal gratitude of the present may well claim illustrious expression from the lips of the poet, the brush of the painter, and the chisel of the sculptor. To the day of his death these pledges of amity and the assurances of good will a*id assistance given during these first interviews were faith fully observed. The firm friend of the white man, the guide, the adviser,

GOVERNOR OGLETHOFPE AND THE INDIANS.

,35

the protector of the colonist, the constant companion and faithful con federate of Oglethorpe, as such let u j always remember the aged mico of the Yamacraws. . • True to his promise Tomo-chi-ctii exerted his influence in behalf of the contemplated convention, and dispatched messengers to the various principal towns and chief men of the Georgia tribes, apprisfrig them of the objects of the convocation and leading their minds in advance to a favorable consideration of the propositions which had been intimated to him by Mr. Oglethorpe. The interval which necessarily intervened prior to the assembling of the Indians, was improved by the founder of the colony in furthering the settlement at Savannah and in paying a visit to the province of Carolina. The fullest narrative of the meeting between Mr. Oglethorpe arid the Indians, in pursuance of this invitation, is con tained in the forty sixth volume of the " Political State of Great Britain," and we repeat the account as it is there given: " On the 14th of May, Mr. Oglethorpe set out from Charlestown on his return to Savannah, which is the name of the town now begun to be built in Georgia. That night he lay at Colonel Bull's house on Ashley River, where he dined the next day. The Rev. Mr. Guy, rector of the parish of St. John's, waited upon him there, and acquainted him that his parishioners had raised a very handsome contribution'for the assistance of the colony of Georgia. Mr. Oglethorpe went from thence to Captain Bull's where he lay on the I5th. On the i6th, in the morning, he embarqued at Daho, and rested at Mr. Cochran's island. On the i/th he dined at Lieutenant Watts' at Beaufort, and landed at Savannah on the l8th, at ten in the morning, where he found that Mr. Wiggan, the inter preter, with the chief men of all the Lower Creek nation, had come down to treat of an alliance with the hew colony. " The Lower Creeks are a nation of Indians who formerly consisted of ten, but now are reduced to eight tribes or towns, who have each their dif ferent government, but are allied together and speak the same language. They claim from the Savannah River as far as S. Augustin, and up to the Flint river^ which falls into the bay of Mexico. All the Indians inhabit ing this tract speak their language. Tomo-chi-chi, mico, and the Indi ans of Yamacraw are of their nation and language. " Mr. Oglethorpe received the Indians in one of the new houses that afternoon. They were as follows: .

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.
" From the tribe of Coweeta—Yahou-Lakee, their king or mico. Essoboa, their warrior,—-the son of old Breen, lately dead, whom the Span iards called emperor of the Creeks,—with eight men and two women at tendants. " From the tribe of Cussetas—Cusseta, the mico, Tatchiquatchi, the head warrior, and four attendants. <( From the tribe of Owseecheys—Ogeese, the mico, or war king, Ne,athlouthko and Ougachi, two chief men, with three attendants. "From the tribe of Cheehaws—Outhleteboa, the mico, Thlauthothlukee, Figeer, Soota-Milla, war-captains, and three attendants. " From the tribe of Echetas—Chutabeeche and Robing two war cap tains, (the latter was bred among the English) with four attendants.
" From the tribe of Pallachucolas—Gillatee, the head warrior, and five attendants. " From the tribe of Oconas—Oueekachumpa, called by the English * Long King,' Coo woo, a warrior. " From the tribe of Eufaule—Tomaumi, the head warrior, and three attendants. " The Indians being all seated, Oueekachumpa, a very tall old man, stood up, and with a graceful action and a good voice, made a long speech, which was interpreted by Mr. Wiggan and John Musgrove, and was to the following purpose. He first claimed all the larfd to the south ward of the river Savannah, as belonging to the Creek Indians. Next he said that although they were poor and ignorant, Heiwho had given the English breath had given them breath also ; that He; who had made both, had given more wisdom to the white men ; that they were firmly persuaded that the Great Power which dwelt in heaven and all around, (and then he spread out his hands and lengthened the sound of his words), and which had given breath to all men, had sent the English thither for the instruction of them, their wives and children ; that there fore they gave'them ap freely their right to all the land which they did not use themselves, and that this was not only his opinion, but the opin ion of the eight towns of the Creeks, each of whom having consulted to gether, had sent some of their chief men with sldnsj which is their wealth. He then stopped, and the chief men of each town brought up a bundle of buck skins, and laid eight bundles from the eight towns at Mr. Ogle-

OF THE INDIANS.

37
\ i I : j .j * j • _ '\ < _f j j 1 .4 j ~ . | . .

thorpe's feet He then said those were the best things they had, and therefore they gave them with a good heart., He then thanked him for his kindness to Tomo-jem'-chi, mico, and his Indians, to whom he said he -was related; and said, that though Tomo-chi-chi was banished from his nation, he was a good man, and had been a great warrior, and it was for his wisdom and coiirage that the banished men chose him king. Lastly, Jie said, they had heard in the nation that the Cherokees had killed some Englishmen, afid that if he should command them, they would enter with their whole force into the Cherokee country, destroy their harvest, kill their people and revenge the ^pnglish. He then sat down. Mr. 'Oglethorpfe promised to acquaint the trustees with their desire of being instructed, arid informed them that although there had been a report -of Cherokees having killed some Englishmen, it was groundless. He thanked them in the most cordial manner for their affection, and told them that he would acquaint the trustees with it. / "Tomo-chi-chi, micb, then came in, with the Indians of Yamacraw, to Mr. Oglethorpe, and bowing very low, said: 4 I was a banished man; I came here poor and helpless to look for good land near the tombs of my ancestors, and the trustees sent people here; I feared you would . -drive us away, for we were weak and wanted corn; but you confirmed -our land to us, gave us food and instructed our children. We have already thanked you in the strongest words we could find, but words are no return for such favors; for good words may be spoke by the deceit ful, as well as by the upright heart. The chief then of all our nation are here to thank you for us; and before them I declare your goodness, and that here I design to die ; for we all love your people so well that with them we will live ancj die. We do not know good from evil, but desire to be instructed and guided by you that we may do well with, and be numbered amongst the children of the trustees.' 1 He sat down, and Ya» • „ ; »

<

__ .-

..

f ) 1 •

. I •' . -

•

1 In A Curious Account of the Indians by an Honorable Person, Mr. Oglethorpe writes : " Tomo-chi-chi, in his first set speech to me, among other things', said,' Here is a little present;' and then gave me a buffalo's skin, painted on the inside with the •head and feathers of an eagle. He desired me to accept it because' the eagle signified speed, and the buffalo strength; that the English were as swift as the bird, and as strong .as the beast; since like the first, they flew from the utmost parts of the earth, over the vast seas, and like the second, nothing could withstand them ; that the feathers of the /eagle were soft, and signified love; the buffalo skin was warm, and signified protection; therefore he hoped that we Would love and protect their little families.' "

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.
hou-Lakee, mico of Coweeat, stood up and said : ' We are come twentyfive days' journey to see you. I have been often advised to go down to Charlies-Town, but would not go down because I thought I might die in the way; but when I heard that you were come, and that you were-good men, I knew you were sent by Him who lives in Heaven, to teach us Indians wisdom ; I therefore came down that I might hear good things, for I knew that if I died in the way I should die in doing good, and what was said would be carried back to the nation, and our children would reap the benefit of it I rejoice that I have lived to see this day, and to see our frien9s that have long been gone from amongst us. Our nation was once strong, and had ten towns; but we are now weak, and have but eight towns. You have comforted the banished, and have gathered them that were scattered like little bifds before the eagle. We desire there fore to be reconciled to our brethren who* are here amongst you, and we give leave to Tomo-chi-chi, Stimoiche, and Illispelle, to call the kindred that love them out of each of the Creek towns, that they may come to gether and make one town. We must pray you to recall the Yamasees that they may be buried in peace amongst their ancestors, and that they ma)r see their graves before they die ; and their own nation shall be restored "again to its'ten towns.' After which he spoke concerting the abatement of the prices of goods, and agreed upon articles of a treaty which were ordered to be engrossed." . Tomo-chi-chi invited them to his town, where they passed the night in feasting and dancing. On the 2ist, the treaty was signed. "A laced coat, a laced hat, and a shirt were given to each of the Indian chiefs; to each of the warriors a gun, and a mantle of Duffils; and to all their at tendants coarse cloth for clothing. A barrel of gunpowder, four cags of bullets, a piece of broad- cloth, a piece of Irish linen, a cask of tobaccopipes, eight belts, and cutlashes with gilt handles, tape and inkle of all col ors, and eight cags of rum, to be carried home to their towns; one pound of ppwder, one pound of bullets, and as much provision for each man as they pleased to take for their journey home," were also distributed. 1 During this interview the conduct of Mr. Oglethorpe toward the In dians was characterized by marked kindness, courtesy, and conciliation.
* Se« The Political State af Great Britain, xlvi 237 ; Gentleman's Magtgine for July 1733, Si. 384, et seq.; American Gazetteer, it., article "Georgia." London. 1762*

INDIAN TREATY.

39

He urged upon them an appreciation of the fact that in making this set* tlement the English desired neither to dispossess nor tp annoy the na tives, but that the earnest wish of his government and people was to live in peace and friendship with the surrounding tribes. He further ex plained the power of the British nation.and the general object in.view |n founding the colony, and asked from the assembled chiefs and those whom they represented a cession ef the lands lying betweetr the Sevannth and Alatamaha Rivers. In addition, he invoked the ratification of a treaty of commerce and of perpetual amity. The interview was in every respect satisfactory, and resulted in the consummation of a treaty by which the Lower Creeks agreed to place themselves under the general government of Great Britain and to live in peace with the colonists. To the trustees were granted all lands lying between the Savannah and the Alatamaha Rivers, from the ocean to the head of tide-water. This cession also embraced the islands on die coast, fr»m Tybee to St Simon's Island inclusive, with the exception of the Islands of Ossabaur Sapelo, and St Catharine, which were reserved by tiie Indians for the purposes of hunting, bathing, and fishing. The tract of land lying above Yamacraw Bluff, between Pipemaker's Bluff and 'Pally-Chuckola Creek, was also reserved as a place of encampment when ever it should please them to visit their beloved friends at Savannah. Stipulations were entered into regulating the price of goods, the value of peltry, and the privileges of traders. It was further agreed that all crim inal offenses should be tried and punished in accordance with the laws of England.1 . . Although this treaty was engrossed, and formally executed by Oglethorpe on the one part, and the chiefs and principal warriors who were then present on the other, in order that its terms might be duly consid ered and approved, it was forwarded to the trustees for their formal con firmation.
In due course it was returned with the following ratification: 2 ' See McCall's History of Georgia, i. 37, 38. * This ratification of these articles of friendship and commerce between the trustees for establishing the colony of Georgia in America and .the chief mico of the nation of the Lower Creeks was made on the l8th of October, 1733. See Minutes of the Com mon Council for the Years 1731 to 1736, p. 75.

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.
" The Trustees for establishing the colony of Georgia in America to tie chief men of the nation of the Lower Creeks,

"SEND GREETING:
"WHEREAS, The great king, George the Second, king of Great Brit ain, did by hfs letters patent under the great seal of Great .Britain, bear ing date the 9th day of June, in the 5th year of his reign, constitute and appoint a body politic and corporate by the name of the Trustees for establishing the colony of Georgia in America: " And WHEREAS, The said Trustees have received from their be loved Mr. James Oglethorpe, of West Brook Place, in the county of Surry, Esquire, one of the common council of the said Trustees, a copy of certain articles of friendship and commerce between the said Trustees and the said chief men, which is in the.words following (that is to say), Articles of friendship and commerce between the Trustefs for establish ing the colony of Georgia in America, and the chief men bf the nation of the Lower Creeks. " First. The Trustees bearing in their hearts great love and friendship to you the said head-men of the Lower Creek nation, do engage to let their people carry up into your towns all kinds of goods fitting to trade in the said towns, at the rates and prices settled and agreed upon before you the said head-men, and annexed to this.treaty of trade and friendship. " Secondly. The Trustees do by these articles promise to see restitu tion done to any of the people of your towns by the people they shall send among you; proof being made to the beloved man they shall at any time send among you, that they who have either committed murder, robbery, or have beat or wounded any of your people, or any wise injured them in their crops, by their horses, or in any other ways whatever; and upon such proof the said people shall be tried and punished according to the English law. * . " Thirdly. The Trustees when they find the hearts of you the said head-men and your people are not good to the people they shall send among you, or that you or your people do not mind this paper, they will withdraw the English trade from the town so offending. And that you. and your people may have this chain of friendship in your minds and fixed to your hearts, they have made fast their seal to this treaty.. N

THE TRUSTEES' RATIFICATION OF THE TREATY.

41

"Fourthly. We, the head-men of the Coweta and Cuseta towns, in be half of all the Lower Creek nation, being firmly persuaded that He who lives in Heaven and is the occasion of all good things, has moved the hearts of the Trustees to send their beloved men among us, for the good of our wives and children, and to instruct us and them in what is straight, do'therefore declare that we are glad that their people are^come here; and though this land belongs to us (the Lower Creeks), yet we, that we may be instructed by them, do consent and agree that they shall make use of and possess all those lands which our nation hath not occasion to use; and we make over unto them, their successors and assigns, all such lands and territories as we shall have no occasion to use; provided al ways, that they, upon settling every new town, shall set out for the use of ourselves and the people of our nation such lands as shall be agreed upon between their beloved men and the head-men of our nation, and that those lands shall remain to us forever. " Fifthly. We, the head-men, do promise for ourselves and the peo ple of our towns that the traders for the English which shall settle among us, shall not be robbed or molested in their trade in our ifation; and that if it shall so happen any of our people should be mad, and either kill, wound, beat or rob any of the English traders or.their, people, then we the said head- men of the towns aforesaid do engage to have justice done to the English, and for that purpose to deliver up any of our people who shall be guilty of the crimes aforesaid, to be tried by the English laws, or by the laws of our nation, as the beloved man of the Trustees shall think fit. And we further promise not to suffer any of the people of our said towns to come into the limits of the English settlements without leave from the English beloved man, and that we will not molest any of the English traders passing to or] from any nation in friendship with the English. " Sixthly. We, the head-men, for ourselves and people do promise to apprehend and secure any negro or other slave which shall run away from any of the English settlements to our nation, and to carry them either to this town, or Savannah, or Palachuckola garrison, and there to deliver him up to the commander of such garrison, and to be paid by him four blankets or two guns, or the value thereof in other goods; provided such runaway negro, or other slave, shall be taken by us or any of our peo• 6

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.
pie on the farther side of Oconee River; and in case such negro or nmawayslave shall be taken on the hither side of the said river, and deliv ered to the commanders aforesaid, then we understand the pay to be one; gun, or the value thereof; and in case we or our people should kill any such slave for resistance or running away from us in apprehending him,, then we are to be paid one blanket for his head, by any trader, for car-, rying such slave's head unto him. r , " Lastly. We promise with stout hearts, and love to our brothers the English, to give no encouragement to any other white people, but them selves, to settle amongst us, and that we will not have any correspondence with the Spaniards or French; and to show that we both for the good of ourselves our wives and children do firmly promise to keep the talk in our hearts as long as the sun shall shine or the waters run in the rivers, wehave each of us set the marks of our families.
SCHEDULE OF THE PRICES OF GOODS AGREED ON, ANNEXED.

"And, WHEREAS, The said Trustees are greatly desirous tb mfth*and preserve an inviolable peace, friendship and commerce -the said head-men of the Lower nation of Creeks, and the people*the Trustees have sent and shall send to inhabit and settle in the province (ft* •Georgia aforesaid, to endure to the world's end; ' . " Now know ye that we the said Trustees for establishing the colony of Georgia in America do by these presents ratify and confirm the statfl articles of friendship and commerce between the Trustees for establishing the colony of (jeorgia in America, and the chief men of the Lower Creeks, and all and every of the articles and agreements 'therein con tained, and also the rates and prices of goods above mentioned, settled and agreed upon before the said head-men, and annexed to the said treaty of trade and friendship. " In witness whereof the Common Council of the said Trustees for establishing the Colony of Georgia in America have to these presents made fast the common seal of the corporation of the said Trustees, the •eighteenth day of October, in the seventh year of the reign of our sover eign lord George the Second, by the Grace of God of Great Britain, France and Ireland king, defender of the faith, etc., and in the year of owr Lord one thousand seven hundred and thirty-three. "By order of the said Common Council,

\

" BENJAMIN MARTYN, Secretary." l
This treaty of the 21st of May, 1733, resulted in the pacification of all the Lower Creek Indians, the Uchees, the Yamacraws, and of other tribes acknowledging their supremacy. Nor did the influences of this -convocation rest with them only. They were recognized by the Upper Creeks, and, at a later date, similar stipulations were ratified by the Oherokees. For years were they preserved inviolate; and the colony of Georgia, thus protected, extended its settlements up the Savannah River and along the coast, experiencing neither molestation nor opposition, but on the contrary receiving on every hand positive and valuable assurances of the good-will and sympathy of the children of the forest Probabijr the early history of no plantation in America affords so few instances of f ^hostility on the part of the natives, or discloses so many acts of kindness
1 See McCatfs History of Georgia \. 357. // stg.

44

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

extended by the red men. To the prudence, conciliatory conduct, sound judgment, and wisdom of Mr. Ogtethorpe, seconded by the hospitality and generosity, as well as the direct personal influence of Tomo-chi-chi, was the colony of Georgia indebted for this first and liberal treaty of amity and commerce with the aborigines.1 To the inhabitants of Sa vannah this concession and these friendly stipulations proved of vital consequence.

-, '

'

CHAPTER IV. *-*

Arrival of the Ship James—Fort Argyle Built and Garrisoned—The Villages or High-Gate and Hampstead Located and Peopled—Forts at Thunderbolt and on Skidoway Island—Joseph's Town—Abercorn—Irene—The Horse Quarter—Early Planta tions—Manchecolas Fort at" Skidoway Narrows—Tybee Lighthouse—Plan of Savan nah—Names of its Squares, Streets, Wards, and Tit hings-=—Arrival of Hebrew Immi grants—Deed Showing first Allotment of Town Lots, Garden Lots, and Farms in^ Savannah, and Containing' the Names of the Original Grantees.

URING the month of March, 1733, the ranks of the colonists were increased by small accessions from London. Some of them came at their own charge, and all found their way to Savannah through the intermediate port of Charlestown. In May seventeen persons arrived at Yamacraw Bluff, who had been approved of by the trustees and con veyed at their expense. Among them were some Italians from Piedmont accustomed to the propagation of silkworms and the manufacture of raw silk. They were engaged to develop an industry from the pursuit of which no inconsiderable gain was anticipated, and obligated themselves to instruct the colonists in the cultivation of the white mulberry tree, in the breeding of silkworms, and in reeling the threads from cocoons. The ship which conveyed them was the James, Captain Yoakley. As this was the first vessel from England which ascended the Savannah River,
i See Historical Sketck of Tomo-chi-chi, pp. 25-37. C. C. Jones, jr., Albany, N. Y. 1868. History of Georgia, vol. t, pp. 132-145. C. C. Jones, jr. Boston. 1883.

D

*

ARRIVAL OF THE SHIP JAMES.

45-

landed her passengers, and discharged her cargo at Yamacraw Bluff, to her captain was awarded the prize offered by the trustees. 1 The colonists at Savannah being busily employed in such labors as were most conducive to the promotion of their comfort and safety, Mr. Oglethorpe deemed it prudent, at this early period in the life of the'plantation, to advance his outposts and to occupy strategic points in the neighborhood which would tend to confirm the security of the town. Captain McPherson, of South Carolina, with his rangers, had been sta tioned just above Yamacraw Bluff at a point on the Savannah River known as the Horse Quarter. His duty was, while the settlers were "enforting themselves" and constructing their temporary shelters, to main tain strict watch against any hostile demonstration. Now, however, as a battery of cannon had been planted, and as the stockade which sur rounded the space allotted for the town was partially completed, it was thought best to detach the captain and a portion of his command that possession might be taken of a locality on the Great Ogeechee River where the Indians, in their predatory expeditions against Carolina, were accustomed to cross that stream. Here a fort was builded which Ogle thorpe, in honor of his friend John, Duke of Argyle, called Fort Argyle. It commanded the passage of the river. .That this outpost might be strenghtened, ten families were soon sent from Savannah to erect dwell ings and cultivate lands in its vicinity. r Between four and five miles south if Savannah, as its limits were at first defined, and on rfsing ground, the village of High Gate was laid ouV and twelve families, mostly French, were assigned to its occupancy. . About a mile to the eastward, the village of Hampstead was located and oeopled with twelve families, chiefly German. Gardening was to be the occupation of these settlers, and their principal business was to supply, the inhabitants of Savannah with vegetables and provisions. In the spring of 1736 Francis Moore, who then visited these little towns, de scribes them as being "pretty," and says that the planters there domi1 The following notice of this arrival may be found in the Gentleman's Magazine for 1733, p. 284: "Savannah, May 20, 1733.—The James, Captain Yoakley, no tons and 6 guns, arrived here on the I4th with passengers and stores. This Ship rode in t. Fathom and a half water dose to the Town at low water Mark. The Captain received the Price appointed by the Trustees for the first Ship that should unload at this-Town,. . where is safe Riding for much^larger Vessels."

of SAVAKHAH.
-died were " very forward, having built neat huts and cleared and planted a great deal of land." The prosperity of these villages was of short du> fattion. In 1740 but two famines remained at High Gate, while Hampstead had then been entirely abandoned. - k As a protection against hostile approach by the way of St. Augustine -"Creek, a smalhfort was constructed at Thunderbolt. To several families were homes here granted.' S& frail was this defensive structure that it - fell into o^cay -as early as 1737. On the northeast end of Skidoway Island ten families were located in 1734, and a fort was built for their -protection. This attempt at early colonization at this exposed point proved so unsuccessful that 'within four years the village disappeared and the fortification fell into a deserted and dilapidated condition. t - - Joseph's-Tpwn, situated on the Savannah River opposite Onslow and Argyle islands, was another of the early outlying towns. It was occu pied by colonists from Scqjland, but malarial fevers and a failure of crops brought about its speedy abandonment. On a creek or branch of the Savannah, distant some three miles from its confluence with that river, and about fifteen miles above the town of » Savannah, the village of Abercorn was laid out in 1733. The gjan of the town embraced twelve tots, with a trust lot in addition at either ex tremity. Four m«les below the mouth of Abercorn Creek? was Joseph'sTown where Scotch gentlemen had selected plantations. Journeying -from this place towards Savannah in the early days of the colony the vis- itor would pass, in succession, Sir Francis Bathurst's plantation, Walter Augustin's settlement, Captain Williams' plantation, Mrs. Matthews' place, the Indian school-house Irene, the Horse Quarter, and the lands .reserved by the Indians just west of Yamacraw. A strange fatality at»tended all these early attempts at colonization in the swamp region of the lower Savannah. Born of the subjugation of the forests and the ex halations from the rich, dank soil were miasmatic fevers and fluxes which engendered lassitude and death. Short-lived were these little settlements, I and it was only after the introduction of slayje labor that these planta tions bordering* upon the Savanriah River became permanent and pro ductive. The Europeans who strove to bring them into a state of culti vation failed in the effort and quickly passed away. Others who endeav ored to complete their labors experienced similar misfortune and disap pointment. ~

SAVANNAH LAID OUT.
Of the ten families assigned to Abefcorn in 1733, all were gone within a period of four years. Mr. John Brodie, with, twelve servants, then oc cupied the settlement, but, after an experiment of three years, he aban doned the place, leaving its improvements to fall down piecemeal. Many of the servants who cultivated the lands of the Scotch gentlemen at Joseph's-Town died, and that plantation for a while reverted to die do-* . minion of nature. For the defense of Skidoway Narrows, a Mancheolas Fort was erected, and it was garrisoned by detachments from Captain Noble Jones* com pany of marines quartered near his residence, called Wonnsloe, on the ' _ Isle of Hope. A lighthouse, to rise ninety feet above the ground, was commenced near the northern end of Great Tybee Island, and here a guard wasposted^ : As the number of immigrants multiplied, plantations were formed on Augustine Creek, on Wilmington Island, on the Isle of Hope, on the tittle Qgeechee, at Bewlie, and even as far south as the Great Ogeechee . ' River. Several accessions to its population having occurred, and sufficient progress having been made in clearing the bay, the square, and the streets, in erecting a crane, in planting a battery of cannon, in palisadingthe town, in the preparation of a commodious garden, and in uncovering the general outlines of Savannah, Oglethorpe, on the 7th of July, 1733,. convened the colonists that they might be definitely advised of the pre cise plan of the village, learn the names which he proposed to bestow upon the square, streets, wards, and tithings, and participate in the as signment of town lots, gardens, and farms. The convocation occurred early in the morning, and the business of the day was preceded by an ; invocation of the Divine blessing. Four wards, each containing four tithings, were marked and named,! viz. : Percival Ward, so named in honor of John, Lord Percival, the first Earl of Egmont, and president of the trustees for establishing the colony of Georgia in America; Heathcote Ward, so named in honor of George Heathcote, M.P., an alderman of London, and one of the most active and influential members of the board of trustees; Derby Ward, socalled in compliment to the Earl of Derby,' who was one of the most

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.
generous patrons of the colonization; and Decker Ward, so named in honor of Sir Matthew*Decker, whose benefactions to the charitable de-sign had been conspicuous. The tithings embraced in Percival Ward irere called, respectively, Moore, Mucks, Hollatid, and Sloper, in honor of Robert Moore, Robert Hucks, Roger Holland, and William Sloper, mem"bers of parliament all, and influential trustees. ^Heathcote Ward was -composed of EyUs, Laroche, Vernon, and Belitha tithings,* so named to perpetuate the pleasant memories of Sir Francis Eyles, Bart., one of the -commissioners of the navy and a member of Parliament, John Laroche, also a member of parliament, James Vernon, Esqr., and William Belitha, all members of the trust. The four tithings constituting Derby Ward were Wilmington, Jekyll, Tyrconitel, and Frederick. These were named in compliment to the Earl of Wilmington, Sir Joseph Jekyll, Master of the Rolls, who, with his lady, had contributed six hundred pounds in fur therance of the laudable design of the trustees, Lord John Tyrconnel, and Thomas Frederick, M.P., both members of the board of trustees. The tithings into which Decker Ward was divided were named Digby, Carpenter, Tower, and Heathcote, in honor of Edward Digby, George, Lord Carpenter, Thomas Tower, M.P., and George Heathcote, M.P., trus tees all. The first and only public square then designated, and which was to serve as a model for all othew which should be called into existence by » the expansion of the town, was J&httsen Square. It was so named in compliment to his excellency Robert Johnsorf,^overnor of South Caro- Una, 'who cordially welcomed Oglethorpe and his companions upon their ^^-^dvent, and contributed generously to~the comfort and advancement of \he colony. / The streets then laid out were Aberptfrn, Drayton, Bull, and Whitaker, running north and south, and the Bay, Bryan, and St. Julian streets, intersecting them at right angles. In naming these also Oglethorpe nought, in an enduring manner, to express the gratitude of the colony . and its founder. Thus, the principal street bore the name of Colonel William Bull, who accompanied Oglethorpe when he selected Yamacraw Bluff as a suitable site for Savannah, and on various occasions rendered the plantation services disinterested and valuable. The liberality of Mr. Joseph Bryan, of Mr. St. Julian, of Mrs. Ann Drayton, of Mr. Whitaker,

^~\

THE FIRST ALLOTMENTS.

49

of South Carolina, and of the Earl of Abercorn was in this manner pub .1 licly acknowledged. In the middle of Johnson Square a large sun-dial was erected for the convenience of the inhabitants It perished long agor and the spot where it stood is now dignified by a shaft dedicated to the memory of General Nathanael Gr^ene, which testifies to the ages the enduring gratitude cherished for him who, in the primal struggle for independence, next to Washington engaged the affections and excited the admiration of the Georgia patriots. Christ Church occupies to-day the trust lot then designated as a she* for a house of worship, and the general plan of the lots, streets, and square, established at this time, served for a guide in the subsequent years. The wisdom of Oglethorpe in conserving open spaces, at regular and near' intervals, that free ventilation might be enjoyed in this warm latitude, was manifest; and the town lots, which the luxurious demands of the present may pronounce too small, then amply sufficed for the needs of the colonists. It will not be forgotten that these lots Were intended sim ply as sites for private dwellings. Appurtenant to them were gardens and farms, situated on the outskirts of the town, so that each male inhab itant of full age participating in the allotment became possessed of a towrr lot containing sixty feet in front and ninety feet in depth, a garden tot embracing five acres, and a farm containing forty-four acres and one hundred and forty-one poles. The grant, therefore, aggregated fifty acres, thus conforming to the instructions of the trustees and supplying land sufficient for the support of the colonist who came at the charge of the trust and brought no servants with him. The entire plan of Savan nah having been fully shown, there followed an allotment, to each inhab itant, of his town lot, garden lot, and farm. This done, at noon all the colonists partook of a bounteous dinner provided by Oglethorpe. Fresh beef, turkeys, venison, and vegetables from the public garden were sup plemented by a liberal supply of English beer. " Hitherto," says Mr. Wright,1 "Mr. Oglethorpe had retained to him self undivided authority over his people, but finding, from their increas ing numbers, that the task of disposing the new settlers to the recipro cal offices of a social state and of keeping the troublesome in subprdina1 Memoir of Central James Ogletkorpe, p. 73. London. 1^67.

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.
tion was more than he could longer individually Accomplish, he now determined to delegate to others a portion of the powers with which he "was invested." Accordingly, in the afternoon a town court for the de termination of causes both civil and criminal was established. Magis trates, a recorder, constables, and tithing-men 1 were appointed and in ducted into office. A jury was drawn and empaneled, and a case tried. "Conservators to keep the peace" 2 were named, and Thomas Causton was selected as the keeper of the public stores. } Shortly after the conclusion of this important business a vessel ar rived from England having on board forty t^ebrew colonists. They came to Savannah without the sanction of the 'trustees, although the expenses incident to their transportation had been defrayed with moneys collected under commissions granted by the common council. It appears from the journal of the trustees that among the commissions empowering the holders to solicit and receipt for contributions in aid of the colonization were three in favor of Alvaro Lopez Suasso, Francis Salvador, jr., and Anthony Da Costa. It was understood that all moneys which they might collect were to be, transmitted to the trustees, to be by them applied in furtherafice of the objects specified in the charter. Acting under their commissions Messrs. Suasso, Salvador, and Da Costa did secure benefactions to a con siderable amount. Instead, however, of paying these funds over to the
1 On the 8th of November, 1732, the trustees 'had commissioned George Symes, Richard Hodges, and Francis Scott as bailiffs. Noble Jones as recorder, Richard Can non and Joseph Coles as constables, and Francis Magridge and Thomas Young as tith ing-men. for the then unlocated town of Savannah. The following persons composed the first jury empaneled in Georgia : Samuel Parker, Thomas Young, Joseph Cole, John W right, John West, Timothy Bowling, John Millidge, Henry Close, Walter Fox; John Grady, James Carwell, and Richard Cannon. . * The persons named as such by the trustees on the 8th of November, 1732, were Peter Gordon, William Waterland, Thomas Causton, Thomas Christie, George Symes, Richard Hodges, Francis Scott, and 5foble Jones. For the village of Thorpe, which was included within the precincts of Savannah, the trustees" commissioned, on the i8th of October, 1733. Robert Parker, sr., as chief constable, George Buckmar and William Johnson as constables, and Arthur Ogle Edgecombe and William Riley as tithing-men. Two days before they had sealed a commission for Thomas Causton as second bailiff of the town of Savannah, in the room of Richard Hodges, deceased, and had selected Henry Parker as third bailiff.

HEBREW COLONISTS.
trustees, or lodging them in the Bank of England to the credit of the trust, as they should have done, they busied themselves with collecting Hebrew colonists to the number of forty and, without the permission of the common council, appropriated the moneys which they had collected to chartering a vessel and defraying the expenses requisite for the con veyance of these Israelites to Savannah. Receiving an intimation that Messrs. Suasso, Salvador, and Da Costa were exceeding their authority and acting in violation of the instructions which accompanied the deliv ery of the commissions, and apprehending that the purposes of these individuais, if7 consummated, would prove prejudicial to the best interests both of the trust and of the colony, the' trustees, as early as the 31st of January, 1733, instructed their secretary, Mr. Martyn, to wait upon them and demand a surrender of the commissions which they held. With this demand Messrs. Suasso, Salvador, and Da Costa refused to comply and, as we have stated, persisted in appropriating the funds thftt^d collec ted in the manner indicated. iff^^ Mr. Oglethorpe had not been advised of the coming of tHsecwon 3 ists, -and was somewhat at a loss to determine what disposition should be . made of them. As the charter guaranteed freedom of religious opinion' and observance to all, save Papists, he wisely concluded to receive them, and in due course notified the trustees of their arrival and of his action in the premises. Those gentlemen did not hesitate to avow their disap proval of the whole affair. They declared that such irregular and unau thorized conduct on the part of Messrs. Suasso, Salvador, and Da Costa was prejudicial to the good order and scheme of the colonization, and that the sending over of these people had turned <aside many intended bene factions. A committee was appointed to prepare for publication a .state ment of the matter, and to assure the public that they did not propose " to make a Jew's colony of Georgia." To Mr. Oglethorpe they wrote that they had heard with grave apprehension of the arrival of these Is raelites in Georgia, and that they hoped " they would meet with no sort of encouragement." They counseled him to "use his best endeavors that^ they be allowed no kind of settlement with any of the grantees," and ex pressed the fear that their presence in Savannah would prove injurious to the trade and welfare of the colony. The following extracts from the journal of the trustees evidence their

HISTORY OF
feeling and action in a matter which for some time attracted no little at tention both in England and in Georgia: ' '-'PALACE COURT, Saturday, December 22, 1733. ' "At a meeting of Trustees, assembled by summons, Ordered That the Secretary do wait on Mess" Alvaro Lopez Suasso, Francis Salvador JunT and Anthony Da Costa with the following message in writing: "Whereas a message, dated Jany 31, 1732-3, was sent for the re-de livery of their Commissions with which they did not think proper to com ply, and which on. the said Refusal were vacated by the Trustees : And Whereas the Trustees are inform'd that by monies rais'd by virtue of their commission (which monies ought to have been transmitted to the Trust ees) certain Jews have been sent to Georgia contrary to the intentions of the Trustees, and which may be of ill consequence to the Colony ; the Trustees do hereby require the said Mess™ Alvaro Lopez Suasso, Francis Salvador Junr, and Anthony Da Costa immediately to redeliver to M T Martyn, their Secretary, the said Commissions and to render an account in writing to the Trustees of what monies have been raised by virtue thereof; and if they refuse to comply with this demand that then the Trustees will think themselves obliged not only to advertise the world of the demand and refusal of the said Commissions and Account, and of the misapplication before mentioned, in order to prevent any further im.positions on his Majesty's Subjects under pretence of an authority granted* by those vacated Commissions; but likewise to recover those commis sions and demand an account of the monies collected in such manner as their Counsel shall advise." . "\ "PALACE COURT. Saturday Janry 5th, 1733-4. " Ordered. That the Secretary do wait on Mess™ Alvaro Lopez Su asso, Francis Salvador Junr and Anthony Da Costa with the following Message in writing: "The Trustees for establishing the Colony of Georgia in America hav ing receiv'd a letter from Mess™ Alvaro Lopez Suasso, Francis Salvador JunT, and Anthony Da Costa, in answer to a message sent for their Com missions, which letter does not appear satisfactory to the said Trustees, they think themselves oblig'd not only to insist on the redelivery of their Commissions, but as they conceive the settling of Jews in Georgia will

OFFICIAL CORRESPONDENCE.
'be prejudicial to the Colony, and as some have been sent without the knowledge of the Trustees, the Trustees do likewise require that the said Mess™ Alvaro Lopez Suasso, Francis Salvador Jr. and Anthony Da Costa, or whoever else may have been concerned in sending them over, do use their endeavors that the said Jews be removed from the.Colony of Georgia, as the best and only satisfaction they can give to the Trustees for such an indignity offer'd to Gentlemen acting under his Majesty's Charter." " PALACE COURT. Saturday, Janry ipth, 1733-4.

" The Secretary acquainted the Board that pursuant to their order of Jan** 5th instant he had waited on Mess" Alvaro Lopez Suasso, Francis Salvador Junr, and Anthony Da Costa, and left wifh them the message of the Trustees in writing, and that he had receiv'd the Commissions formerly given to them; and then he delivered ttye said Commissions to the Board. " Resolved that the said Commissions be laid by, and the further con sideration of this affair be postponed till Mr Oglethprpe comes home." ; There the record ends; and, so far as we can learn, no further action* was taken. Ignoring the suggestions of the trustees, Oglethorpe fur nished ample accommodation and encouragement for these Hebrew col onists, who by their peaceable behavior, orderly conduct, and industry . commended themselves to the favorable consideration of the governor. In communicating with the trustees he took occasion to express the opin ion that this accession had not proved a detriment to the colony. He specially invites the attention of his associates to the good offices of Dr. Nunis. In acknowledging his kindness, the trustees request Mr. Ogle thorpe to- offer him a gratuity for his medical services, but insist that all grants of land within the limits of the province should be withheld from these Israelites. With these instructions, however, as we shall presently see, the founder of the colony of Georgia did not comply. In the gene- / ral conveyance of town lots, gardens, and farms, executed on the 2istof December, 1733, some of these Hebrews are mentioned as grantees. That the trustees were justified in condemning and rebuking the irreg ularity, disobedience and contumacy of Messrs. Suasso, Salvador, and Da Costa, cannot be questioned. That it was entirely prudent and proper in them to claim and exercise the right «f selecting colonists for the planta-

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH
tion is equally certain. That they alone possessed the power of determin ing who should seek homes in Georgia, and of binding applicants in ad vance to a due observance of prescribed rules, was a privilege conferred by the terms of the charter. That they should, under the circumstances, have entertained some apprehension of the effect which would be pro duced upon the public mind by this unauthorized introduction, within the, limits of the colony, of this considerable body of Hebrews, excites no surprise. That they were fully justified in recalling the commissions sealed in favor of Messrs. Suasso, Salvador, and Da Costa, all will admit. And yet Oglethorpe was right in receiving these people and according them homes in Savannah. The excitement, in the end, entirely subsided. These Hebrews proved, orderly and useful citizens. Many of them re moved to South Carolina, but others remained in Savannah, and their, descendants may this day be found in the city of Oglethorpe. Although the formal allotment of lands within the confines of Savan nah was made in July, the requisite deed assuring the cessions then spec ified was not executed until several months afterwards. It will be remem bered that prior to the embarkation of the first colonists the trustees con veyed to three of their number, viz.: Thomas Christie, William Calvert, and Joseph Hughes, five thousand acres of land to be utilized in parcel ing out homes for the early settlers in Georgia. Out of this tract were the Savannah lands carved, and the original deed carrying into effect and confirming the allotments made on the 7th of July, 1733,* may now be seen in the office of the secretary of State of Georgia. It is an instru ment of the highest interest and value, and has withstood in a remarka ble degree the obliterating influences of time and dust which, in the case of many contemporaneous documents, have " fcaten out the letters," and "made a parenthesis betwixt every syllable/' Unfortunately, the "Plan of Savannah*' which accompanied it, and to which reference is therein made, has been lost. All efforts for its recovery have thus far proved fiitile. '* *• Preserving as.it does the names of many of the earliest colonists, indi1 Other allotments, made subsequently to this date, are also included in this deed. Additional colonists had arrived, among whom may be mentioned one hundred and thirty-two persons conveyed in the Savanna A, which sailed from England on the 12th of September, 1733. Se« GentUmaifs Magazine for 1733, p. 493.

ABSTRACT OF FIRST DEED.

55

eating the estates granted, and designating the parcels then conveyed, we make no apology for introducing the following abstract of that im portant document: "To all to whom these Presents shall come; We, Thomas Christie and William Calvert, send greeting. Whereas by Indentures of Lease and Re lease made between the Trustees for establishing the Colony of Georgia in America on the one part; and us the said Thomas Christie and Williant Calvert and Joseph Hughes* deceased, on the other part, bearing date the twenty-fifth day of Pctober Anno Domini One thousand seven hundred thirty and two, under the common seal of the said Trustees, they 4he said Trustees did for the considerations therein mentioned Grant and convey Uhto us the said Thomas Christie and William Calvert and the said Joseph Hughes, deceased, and to the Survivors of us and our Assigns, Five Thou sand Acres of Land lying and being in the Province of Georgia in Amer ica, being part and parcel of the Land which hisj Majesty graciously granted to the said Trustees by his Letters Patent bearing daje the Ninth day of June Anno Domini One Thousand Seven Hundred thirty and two, to be set out in such parts of the said Province as should be thought con venient and proper by such Person as should be appointed by the Com mon Council for that purpose, under such limitations and in trust for such uses and purposes as are therein mentioned, as in and by the said Inden tures, relation being to them»had, may more fully appear: And Whereas the said Common Council did by deed, under the Common Seal of the i j said Trustees, bearing Date the Twenty Sixth day of October Anno Dom ini One thousand seven hundred thirty and two authorize and appoint James Oglethorpe Esquire, of Westbrook Place in the County of Surry, to set out and limit the said Five Thousand Acres in such part of the said Province as he should think most convenient; and Whereas the said » James Oglethorpe hath set out and limited the said Five thousand Acres in such a regular manner as is most convenient for the support of a Town , aiid the Inhabitants thereof, and hath set out part of the said Five Thou sand Acres for a Town called Savannah, with Lotts for Houses, and left a Common round the Town for convenience of Air; And, adjoining to the Commons, hath set out Garden Lotts of Five Acres each, and be yond such Garden Lotts hath set out Farms of Forty Four Acres, and One hundred forty and one Pole each, and hath drawn a Plan of the

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.
Town and Plot of the Garden Lots and Farms respectively, with proper Numbers, References, and Explanations for the more easy understanding thereof, which Plan and Plot are hereunto annexed and set forth in Folio One and Folio Nine of this Book: " Now Know Ye, that we, the Sai<t Thomas Christie and William Calvert, pursuant to the said Deed, and in performance of the said Trust, do Grant and Enfeoff unto John Goddard one House Lot in Wilmington Tything in.Derby Ward, expressed in the said Plan by Number One, containing Sixty feet in front and Ninety feet in depth, and* one Garden Lot containing Five Acres, expressed on the said Plot by Number Eleven, lying South East from the Center of the said Town, and one Farm-expressed in the said'Plot by Number Five and Letter A in the said , Ward and Tything, containing Forty Four Acres and One Hundred Forty and One Pole, making together Fifty Acres of X^nd: To Have and To Hold the said Fifty-jlcres of Land unto him ffc£ said John Goddard during the term of-hfar natural'life, and after bfe decease to the Heirs Male of his Body forever, Upon the Conditions and under the express Limitations hereinafter mentioned." Upon similar conditions, town lots in the varkiaj^tithings and wards in Savannah, garden lots, and farm> were conveyed «*ntnd by this deed to j * • f^~ , VValter Fox, John Grady, James Carwall, Richard Cannon, Francis Cox, relict of Wilfiam Cox, William Cox, jr., George Sims, Joseph Fitzwaiter, Mary Samms, relict of John Samms, Elizabeth Warren, relict of John Warren, William Warren, son of the said John Warren, Mary Overend, relict of.- Joshua Overend, Francis Mugridge, Robert Johnson, William Horn, John Penrose, Elizabeth Hughes, relict of Joseph Hughes, Mary Hodges, relict of Richard Hodges, Mary Hodges, Elizabeth Hodges, and Sarah Hodges—daughters of the said Richard Hodges,—James Muir, Thomas Christie, Joseph Cooper, John West, James Willson, Thomas Pratt, William Wateriand, Elizabeth Bowling, relict of Timothy Bowling, Mary Bowling, daughter of the said Timothy Bowling. Elizabeth Millidge, relict of Thomas Millidge, Heirs Male of the'said Thomas Millidge, William Little, Jane Parker, relict of.Samuel Parker, Thomas Parker, son of the said SamuAlfcii r, Mary Magdalene Tibbcau, relict of Daniel Tibbeau, Heirs Male of the said Daniel Tibbea*, Hannah Close, relict of rfenry Close, Ann Close, daughter of the said Henry Close, Joseph Stanr *•'

ABSTRACT OF FIRST DEED.

57

Robert Clark, Peter Gordon, Thomas Causton, John Vanderplank, ^Thomas Young, Joseph Coles, Thomas Tebbitt, John Dearn, John Wright, CNofcHe JonesjAnn Hows, relict of Robert Hows, John Clark, William Gough, William MacKay, Thomas EUis, Edward Johnson, Isaac Nunez Henriquez, William Mears, Moses le Desna,Paul Cheeswright, Samuel Nunez Ribiero, John Musgrovej(Noble Wimberiy Jones^Daniel Ribiero,"" Charles Philip Rogers, Moses Nuaez Ribiero, Robert Gilbert. Edward Jenkins, Senior, Jacob Lopez d'Olivera. William Savory, Edward Jenkins, Junior, Isaac de Val. Drod Cohen del Monte, Benjamin Shafte!!,* Bearslcy Gough, Robert Hows, Abraham Nunez, Monte Santo, John Milltdge, Jacob Yowel, Samuel Parfcer, junior, Abraham Minis, Jacob Lopez de Crasto, and David de Pas; the said grantees "yielding and paying for such Town Lott, Garden Lcfj^Md Farm, containing together Fifty Acres as aforesaid, to the said^'nRtaifccj'-for establishing thj^^lony of Georgia in America, and to tfceir SJfa&'jitii n, yeariy aadlCMJ^ji^fear, the Rent or Sum of two Shillings ctflawfo) Money of Great Ifetfefa, the same to be paid to such person of persons and at such place hr^he said Town of Sa vannah in the said Provtooe of Georgia as by the Common Council (for .the time being) of th< sa>d Trustees shall be appointed. The first Pay ment to be made off^j|is first Day of the Eleventh year to be computed from the Day of the date of these Presents; provided always, and these Presents are upon these conditions, that if it shall happen that the said yearly Rent, of Two Shillings or any part thereof be unpaid by the space of Twelve {Calendar Months next after the day of Payment, on which the' same ought to be paid as aforesaid, And if the said several persons or their respective Heirs above mentioned shall not within the space of Eighteen Kalendar Months from the date hereof erect one House of • Brick, or framed, square timber work, on their respective Town Lotto, con* taining at the least Twenty four feet in length, upon Sixteen in breadth, and eight feet in height, and abide, settle, and continue in the said Prov ince for and during the full term of three years to be computed from die date hereof and if the said several Persons and each of them respectively shall not, within the space of ten years, to be likewise computed from the date hereof, clear and cultivate Ten Acres of theiaU Hand fterein before to them respectively granted; And if the said sevenii persons aforejajd shall toot plant or cause ti^ifcl^^

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.
Mulberry Tree which are to be delivered unto them respectively by the said Trustees, so soon as the same or sufficient part thereof be cleared, and sufficiently fence and preserve the same from the bite of Cattle, and in stead of such Trees as shall happen to die or be destroyed shall not . set other Trees of the same sort, And if any or either of the said several persons above mentioned who shall by virtue 4>f these Presents, or of the Grant and Enfeoffment hereby made or intended to be made, now or at any time or times hereafter become possessed of the said Fifty Acres of Land, or any part or parcel thereof respectively, at any time or times alien, transfer, or convey the same or any part thereof for any term of years, or any estate or interest in the same, to any Person or Persons whatsoever without special leave and license of the said Common Coun cil (for the time being) or of such Officer as the said Common Council shall from time to time authorize to Grant such licence; And if the said Person or Persons or any other Person who shall by virtue of these Pres ents and of the Grant in Tail Male hereby made from time to time beconjr possessed of the said Fifty Acres of Land shall do or commit any reason, Misprison of Treason, Insurrection, Rebellion, Counterfeiting the Money of Great Britain, or shall commit Murder, Felony, Homicide, Killing, Burglary, kape of women, unlawful Conspiracy or Confederacy, and shall be thereof lawfully convicted; and if any of the said Person or Persons hereinbefore mentioned or any other Person or Persons who shall by virtue of these Presents and of the Grant hereby made, from time to time become possessed of any of the said Fifty Acres of Land shall at any time hire, keep, lodge, board, or employ within the limits of the said Province of Georgia any person or persons being Black or Blacks, Ne gro or Negroes, or any other Person or Persons being a Slave or Slaves, on any account whatsoever without the special leave and license of the said Common Council (for the time being) of the said Trustees, that then and from thenceforth in any or either of the aforesaid cases it shall be lawful to and for the said Trustees for establishing the Colony of Georgia in America and their Successors into and upon the said Fifty Acres of Land hereby granted of such person so offending, and upon any and every part thereof in the name of the whole to refinter and the same to have again, retain, repossess and enjoy as if this present grant had never been' made; And all and every such Person or Persons 90 neglecting, or mis*

SCHEDULE OF GRANTEES.
behaving him or themselves in any or either of the cases aforesaid, and all other the occupyers and possessors of the said Fifty Acres of Land (to such person so misbehaving as aforesaid belonging) or any part or parcel thereof, thereout and from thence utterly to expel, put out and amove; And also upon the Entry in any of the cases before mentioned ' of such Officer or Officers who shall by the said Common Council (for the time being) be for that purpose authorized and appointed, the Grant hereby made of the said Fifty Acres of Land unto such Person so mis behaving as aforesaid shall cease, determine, and become void. "In Witness Whereof the said Thomas Christie, and William Calvert have hereunto set their Hands and Seals this twenty-first day of Decem ber in the year of Our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred Thirty and Three. •

"Tnos. CHRISTIE [L-S]. "WM. CALVERT [L SJ."

Attached to the foregoing conveyance is the following schedule ex hibiting the names of the Grantees and the numbers and locations of their respective gardens and farms:
Gardens. Pans*. Gardens. farms.

After the surrender of their charter by the trustees, and upon the establishment of a royal government for Georgia, the early cession of lots within the corporate limits of Savannah, although signed by the colonial governor, were made in the name of the King of England, of his "special grace, certain knowledge, and mere motion." The grantee took in free^ and common socage, with a rentTeservation of one pepper-corn payable V yearly, if demanded. He also covenanted to erect a house upon the lot f within two years from the date of the grant. Should he fail to build within the two years, he further stipulated, upon the expiration of that period, to pay annually to the Crown the sum of £\: If no building was placed upon the lot within ten years from the date of the grant, it was then to revert to the crown. 1 " .

CHAPTER V.
» • i

-

Mr. Oglethorpe Visits the Southern Confines of the Province— Arrival of the Saltzburgers and their location at Ebenezer—Baron Von Reek's Impressions of Savannah —Oglethorpe Visits England and is Accompanied by Tomo^chi-chi and other Indians —Influence of this Visit upon the Native Population—Acts Passed Prohibiting the In troduction of Rum and Negro Slaves—Silk Culture—Arrival of the Moravians and of the Highlanders—Settlements at Darien, at Frederica, and at New Ebenezer—Progress - of Colonization—Beacon onTybee Island—Francis Moore's description of Savannah.

ESIRING to obtain a personal acquaintance with the southern boundary of Georgia, and to ascertain its capabilities for defense against the Spaniards, Mr. Oglethorpe, on the morning of the 23d of Jan uary, 1734, accompanied by Captain Fergusdn and sixteen attendants—> among whom were two Indian guides—set out in a large row-boat On a four of observation. He was followed by a yawl laden with provisions and ammunition. It was during this reconnoissance that he selected" those sites which were subsequently peopled and known as Frederica and New Inverness. , . The funds hitherto collected by the trustees had been well nigh ex1 See History of Georgia. C. C. Jones, Jr.,'voL L, chap. x. Boston. 1883.

D

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.
haustcd by expenditures in behalf of the colonization when their treas ury was handsonely replenished through the munificence of the general government Of the moneys realized from the sale of lands in the island of St. Christopher, the Sum of ten thousand pounds was, in pursuance of a resolution of the House of Commons adopted on motion of Sir Charles Turner, paid over to the trustees for establishing the colony of Georgia in America, to be by them applied " towards defraying the charges of car rying over and settling' foreign and other Protestants in said colony." This timely relief enabled the trustees to accomplish a purpose from the execution of which they had been prevented by a want of money. Rightly had they, in the administration of the trust, given a preference to English Protestants desirous of seeking homes in the New World. Now, however, they were justified in enlarging the scope of their charity because the resolution, in obedience to which this liberal benefaction was made, contemplated in terms the colonization of foreign ' , Protestants. The' raistees were thus enabled to equip and send out the colony of Saltzburgers which, in March, 1734. reached Savannah. These pious, industrious, and honest 'emigrants, under the conduct of Baron Philip George Frederick Von Reck, and accompanied by their religious teach ers—the Rev. John Martin Bolzius, and Israel Christian Gronau—were full of joy" as their ships cast anchor "in fine, calm weather, under the shore of our "beloved Georgia, where we heard the birds sing melodi ously." The inhabitants of Savannah united in extending a hearty wel come. "They fired off some cannons, and cried Huzzah! which was an swered by our Sailors and other English People in our ship in the same manner. Some of us were immediately fetch'd on Shore in a Boat, and carried about the City, into the woods, and the new Garden belonging to the Trustees. In the meantime a very good Dinrier wu> prepared for us and the Saltzburgers, . -. when they came on shore, got very good and wholesome English strong Beer." After this fashion does Mr. Commis sary Von Reck 1 chronicle the arrival of these colonists. He adds that the inhabitants'"shewed them a great deal of Kindness; and the Country pleasing them, they were full of Joy and praised God for it."
1 Extract of the Journals of Mr. Commissary Von Reck, etc., p. 132. London. 1734-

ARRIVAL OF THE SALTZBURGERS.

*^

63

Of the town of Savannah the Baron favors us with the following im pressions: " I went to view this rising Town, Savannah, seated upon th~ Banks of a River of the same Name. The Town is regularly laid out, divided into four Wards, in each of which is left a spacious Square for holding of Markets and other publick Uses. The Streets are all straight, and the Houses are all of the same Model and Dimensions, and well contrived for Conveniency. For the Time it has been built it is very populous, and its . Inhabitants are all White People. And inJeed the Blessing of God seems to have gone along with this Undertaking; for.here'we see Industry honored and Justice strictly executed, and Luxury and Idleness banished from this happy Place where Plenty and Brotherly Love, seem to make their Atx>de, and where the good Order of a Nightly Watch restrains the Disorderly and makes the Inhabitants sleep secure" in the midst of a Wil derness. There is laid out near the Town, by Order of the Trustees, a Garden for making Experiments for the Improving Botany and Agricul ture; it contains 10 Acres and lies upon the River; and it is cleared and brought into such Order that there is already a fine Nursery of Oranges, Olives, white Mulberries, Figs, Peaches, and many curious Herbs: be sides which there are Cabbages, Peas, and other European Pulse and Plants which all thrive. Within the Garden there is an artificial Hill, said ~ by the Indians to be raised over the Body of one of their ancient Empe rors. I had like to have forgot one of the best Regulations made by the Trustees for the Government of the Town of Savannah. I mean the ut ter Prohibition of the Use of Rum, that flattering but deceitful Liquor which has been found equally pernicious to the Natives and new Comers, which seldom fails by Sickness or Death to draw after it its own Punish - i> ,' ment." • . *•• Having assigned a location to the Saltzburgers^about four mfcs below the present town of Springfield in Emngham county and assisted them in establishing a settlement there, Mr. Oglethorpe, after an absence ^ of some fifteen months, resolved to visit England that he might in person submit a full report of the progress of the colonization, and enlist public sympathy even more strongly in behalf of the benevolent scheme. The pine-covered bluff at Yamacraw had been already transmuted into a town, regularly laid out, and containing forty completed houses and

64

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH

many others in process of construction. A battery of cannon and a pal isade proclaimed its capabilities for self-protection. An organized town court was open for the enforcement of rights and the redress of wrongs. From a tall flagstaff floated the royal colors, and a substantial crane on the bluff facilitated the unburthening of vessels in the river below. A public garden and private farms evidenced the thrift of the community, and gave promise of a liberal harvest. An ample storehouse sheltered supplies against a season of want This Kttle rriother town—miniature metropolis of the province—had already sent out Jier sons; some of them to dwell along the line of the Savannah, others to watch by the Ogeechee, others to build homes upon the islands and guard the approaches from the sea, others to warn the mariner as he entered the mouth of the Savannah, and others still to convert the neighboring forests into pleas ant fields. Planters, too, at their own charge, and bringing articled serv ants with them, were already seeking out and subduing fertile tracts. Thus the colony enlarged its domains and multiplied its settlements. During his contemplated absence the general conduct of the affairs of the town and plantation was entrusted to Thomas Causton, the trustees', store-keeper, and a-bailiff. In cases of doubt and difficulty he was to take' counsel of Mr. James St. Julian, of South Carolina, and of Mr. Francis Scott, gentleman, of Georgia. Rightly judging that the advantage and sedurity of the province would be materially promoted by taking with him some of the most in telligent of his Indian neighbors, in order that they might, by personal observation, acquire a definite conception of the 'greatness and the re sources of the British Empire, and, moved by the'kindnesses and atten tions which he was quite sure would be extended to them on every hand while in England, bring back with them memories which would surely tend to cement the alliances and perpetuate the amicable relations which had been so auspiciously inaugurated, Mr. Oglethorpe. invited Tomo-chichi and some of the leading members of his tribe to accompany him on his intended visit The old mico gladly accepted the invitation, and resolved to take with him his wife Scenawki and Toonahowi, his adopted son and nephew. Hillispilli, the war chief of th£ Lower Creeks, four other chiefs of that nation, to wit, Apakowtski, Stimalchi, Sintouchi, and Hinguithi, and TJmphichi, a Uchee chief from Palachocoias, with their

RETURN OF TOMO-CHI-CHI.
attendants and an interpreter, constituted the retinue. Leaving Savan nah they reached Charleston on the 2/th of March, and sailed from tha,t port for England on board fiis majesty's ship Aldborough on the 7th of April, 1734. After a voyage of seventy days that vessel arrived safely at St Helens in the Isle of Wight. Upon his return to Savannah on the 2Xth of December, 1754, Tomochi-chi 1 freely imparted to his tribe, and to the Creek nation, the impres sions he had formed, during his recent visit, of the power of the "British Empire, of the magnificence of London, and of the marked courtesies, kindness, and hospitality with which he and his companions had every where b.-en entertained during their sojourn in England. He exhorted them to continue in friendship with their neighbors—the colonists— and to observe the obligations of existing treaties. The beautiful and novel presents which he and his companions brought home with them were accepted as proofs, most potent, of -the liberality of the English, and -.evoked the admiration of the natives. This visit of Tomo-chi-chi and his . companions, and the interest awakened by their personal presence in London, materially assisted Mr. Oglethorpe and the trustees in enlisting . the renewed arid earnest sympathy of the public, and in securing substantial aid not only for the colonists, but also for the education of the natives and their instruction in religious knowledge. Widely dissemi nated among the Indian nations was the report of this sojourn of the mico of the Yamacraws in the home of the white men. « Grateful were the Creeks for the kindness and consideration extended to one of their race. The beneficial results flowing from, and the sentiments of good will engendered by this visit tended most decidedly to perpetuate the amicable relations existing between the races, and to confirm the secu ' rity of Savannah. While in England Mr. Oglethorpe resumed his seat in Parliament and was instrumental in procuring the passage of two bills for the con jectured benefit ef Georgia. One of these was an act to prohibit the importationvand sale of rum, brandy, and other distilled liquors within the limits of that province. In August, 1733, several persons had died at Savannah, as was sugan account of his visit to London see History of Georgia, voL i, pp. 175-186. ' ^ . C. Jones, jr. Boston. 1883. 9

I

66

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

gested, from the too free use of rum. Mr. Oglethorpe so notified the common council, and the members of that body, od the 2ist of the fol lowing November, " Resolved that the drinking of rum in Georgia be absolutely prohibited, and that all which shall be brought there be staved." Although the founder of the colony endeavored to enforce the observance of this regulation, traders from Carolina supplied both the settlers and the Indians with smuggled spirits, which, as was alleged, " produced disease among- the former, and disorderly conduct on the part of some of the latter." In South Carolina no prohibition existed, and the importation of rum, both from New England and the West Indies, was constant and heavy. Upon the moderate use of English beer and the wines of Maderia the Georgia authorities placed no restric tion. With these the trustees' store at Savannah was regularly supplied, and the magistrates there were empowered to grant licenses for retailing beer both of foreign manufacture and of home brewing. The other act forbade the introduction ol slavery, and was entitled " " An act for rendering the Province of Georgia more defensible by prohibiti i » t'te • mo^tatioT of black staves or negroes into the same." If suffered to rely upon the aid of negroes, the trustees feared that the colonists would fail to acquire " habits of labour, industry, economy, and thrift by personal application." Both these statutes received royal sanction. In commenting upon this legislation Burke sagely remarked that while these regulations and restrictions were designed to bring about wholesome results, they were promulgated without a sufficient apprecia tion of the nature of the country and the disposition of the people to be affected by them. Long and earnestly did many of the colonists peti tion for the removal of these prohibitions, which placed the province at a disadvantage when its privileges were contrasted with those of sister settlements, and, beyond doubt, so far at le'ast as the employment of slave labor was concerned, retarded its development During Mr. Oglethorpe's absence the charge of the colony devolved upon Thomas Causton, storekeeper and chief bailiff, assisted by the other bailiffs and by the recorder of Savannah. He was cautioned by the > trustees to keep them fully advised of everything of moment which trans pired within the province; to have a care that no one traded with the Indians without special license; tP draw all bills for account of the colony

ARRIVAL oF T»E MORAVIANS,
upon the trustees at thirty days' sight; to see to it that the sick and in digent, incapable of supporting themselves, and orphans of an age so tender that they coutd not be articled as apprentices, should, as occasion required, be assisted at the expense of the trust; to have the glebe land in Savannah inclosed by a substantial fence ; to be zealous in the rigid enforcement of the laws against tippling; to lose no opportunity in en couraging the people to fence and cultivate their lands, as, upon the products thence derived, depended their subsistence; to forward an esti mate of the cost of constructing a church in Savannah, of brick or tim ber, sixty feet long, forty feet wide, and twenty feet high within; to pro mote settlements on Vernon River; to favor "the setting up of BrewHouses," thus leading the people away from the use of distilled liquors; to allow the Saltzburgers another year's full allowance from the public store ; to urge on to completion the lighthouse which was being built on Tybee Island ; and to compel the town court in Savannah to hold a ses sion once in every six weeks for the trial of civil causes, and to convene for the disposal of criminal cases as often as occasion demanded. No feeSwere to be exacted by officers issuing warrants. The encouragement extended by the trustees and the board of trade to the production of raw silk in Georgia was not without some pal pable results. From time to time samples were received. In May, 1735, the trustees, accompanied by Sir Thomas Lombe, exhibited a spec? imen to the queen, who desired that it should be wrought into a fabric. This was done, and her majesty was so much pleased with the manufac tured silk that she ordered it to be made up into a costume in which she appeared at court on her birthday. ! In 1735 the Moravians, accompanied by the Rev. Mr. Gottlieb Spangenberg, and under the patronage of Count Zinzendorf, arrived in Geor gia and settled along the line of the Savannah River between the Saltz burgers and the town of Savannah. Soon after came the Highlanders from Inverness, with their pastor, the Rev. John McLeod. Transported on periaguas to the southward, and ascending the Alatamaha River to a point on its left bank some sixteen miles above the island of St Simon, they there landed, erected a fort, mounted four pieces of cannon, builded a guard-house, a store, a chapel, and cabins for temporary occupancy,
1 Political State of Great Britain, vol. i., 'pp. 242, 469.'

HISTORY OF
and formed a permanent settlement which they named New Inverness. . These Scotte were a brave, hardy race, just the men to occupy this ad vanced post In their plaids, and \rith their broadswords and firearms they presented " a most manly appearance." The districts which they were to hold and cultivate they called JDarien. Previous to their departure from Savannah some Carolinans endeav ored to dissuade them from going to the South by telling them that the Spaniards, from their houses in their forts, would shoot them upon the spot selected by the trustees for their future home. Nothing daunted, these doughty countrymen of Bruce" and Wallace responded : " Why then we will beat them out of their fort, and shall have houses built ready to live in." 1 This valiant spirit found subsequent 'expression in the efficient mili tary service rendered by these Highlanders during the wars between the colonists and the Spaniards, and by their descendants in the American Revolution. To John Moore Mclntosh, Captain Hugh Mackay, Ensign Charles Mackay, Colonel John Mclntosh, General Lachlan Mclntosh, and their gallant comrades and followers, Georgia, both as a colony and a State, owes a large debt of gratitude. This settlement was subse quently augmented from time to time by fresh arrivals from Scotland. Although located in a malarial region, it maintained its integrity, and in creased in wealth and influence. Its men were prompt and efficient in arms, and when the war cloud descended upon the Southern confines of the province no defenders: were more alert or capable than those found * in the ranks of these Highlanders. At an early date a passable road, located by Captain Hugh Mackay, was constructed to connect New Inverness with Savannah. For the pre liminary survey Indian guides were furnished by Tomo-chi-chi. This route constitutes to this day the highway leading from Savannah \# Darien. Then* Followed in quick succession the return of Mr. Oglethorpe to Georgia, accompanied by the brothers John and Charles Wesley, the Rev. Mr. Ingham, and two hundred and two colonists conveyed on the Trust's account in the, Symond and the London Merchant, 4iaving on board large quantities of provisions, small arms, cannon, ammunition,
1 See letter of Mr. Oglethorpe to the trustees, under date February 27, 1735.

A

agricultural tools and articles for domestic use, convoyed by H. M. sloop of war Hawk, commanded by Captain Gascoigne — the transferor these emigrants to the South, and their location at Frederica, on St Simon's Island, destined soon to become the Thermopylae of the Lower Anglo- • American colonies —the reinforcement of the Moravian settlement—the change of residence by the Salzburgers from their pine barren home to " Red Bluff," near the Savannah River, surrounded by a territory geqtly undulating and covered with a fine growth of forest trees—the jesamme, the woodbine, and the beautiful az ilea adding to the attractions of the picturesque scene —the establishment of a town at Augusta— the com position of certain disagreements which had arisen between some of the colonists and their Indian neighbors —and the erection of a lighthouse on the upper end of Tybee Island designed for the guidance of vessels entering the Savannah River. This beacon was to be twenty- five feet square at the base, ninety feet high, and ten feet each way at'the top. It was to be constructed of "the best pine, strongly timber'd. raised . upon Cedar Piles, and Brick- work round the Bottom." When finished it would prove of "great service to all shipping, not only to those bound to this port. 1 but also to Carolina, for the land of all the Coast for" some hundred miles is so alike, being all low and woody, that a distinguishing Mark Is of great consequence." 2 To Mr. Oglethorpe's surprise and an noyance unpardonable delay had ocurred, during his absence, in the erection of this important .structure. Blythman, the carpenter in charge, had neglected h$> work, and his assistants had been idle, addicted to drink, and disobedient. Rum was so cheap in Carolina that at this iso lated point they found no difficulty in supplying themselves with it. A day's pay would purchase liquor sufficient to keep a workman drunk for a week. Mr. Oglethorpe reformed matters, and appointed " Mr. Vanderplank to see that the work advanced according to the agreement; and not to pay but proportionably to what should begone." To Mr. Francis Moore—appointed by the trustees keeper of the stores —are we indebted for the following account of the little metropolis of Georgia. "Savannah is about a mile and a quarter in Circumference; it stands
1 Savannah. * Moore's Voyage to Georgia, p. 18.

London.

1744.

v

HlSTOfcY OF SAVANNAH.

upon the flat of a Hill; the Bank of the River (which they in babarous English call a Bluff) is steep, and about 45 Foot perpendicular, so that all heavy Goods are brought up by a Crane, an Inconvenience designed to be remedied by a bridged Wharf, and an easy Ascent, which in laying dut the Town, care was taken to allow room for, there being a very wide Strand between the first Row of Houses and the River. From this Strand there is a very pleasant prospect; you see the River wash the Foot of the Hill which is a hard, clear, sandy Beach a mile in Length; the Water is fresh, and River 1000 Foot wide. Eastward you see the River in creased by the Northern Branch which runs round Hutckinsorfs Island, and the Carolina Shore beyond it, and the Woody Islands at the Sea, which close the Prospect at 10 or 12 Miles Distance. Over against it is Hntchinson'x Island, great part of which is open Ground, where they mow Hay for the Trust's Horses and Cattle. The rest is Woods, in which there are many Bay-trees 80 Foot high. Westward you see the River winding between the Woods, with little Islands in it for many Miles, and Toma-chi-chis 'Indian Town standing upon the Southern Banks, between 3 and 4 Miles distance. *' The town of Savannah is built of Wood; all the Houses of the first 40 Freeholders are of the same size with that Mr. Oglethorpe lives in, but there are great Numbers built since, I believe 100 or 150, many of these are much larger, some of 2 or 3 Stories high, the Boards plained and painted. The Houses stand on large Lotts, 60 Foot in Front, by 90 Foot in Depth; each Lott has a fore and back Street to it; the Lotts are fenced in with split Pales; some few People have Pallisades of turned Wood before their Doors, but the Generality have been wise enough not to throw away their Money which, in this Country, laid out in Husbandry, is capable.of great improvements, though there are several People of good Substance in the Town who came at their own Expence, and also, several of those who came over on the Charity, are in a very thriving way; but this is observed that the most substantial People are the most .frugal, and make the least Shew, and live at the least Expence. There are some also who have made but little or bad Use of the Benefits they received, idling away their Times, whilst they had their Provisions from the publick Store, or else working for Hire, earning from 2 Shillings, the Price of a Labourer, to 4 or 5 Shillings, the Price of a. Carpenter, per diem,

DESCRIPTION OF SAVANNAH.
and spending that Money in Rum and good Living, thereby neglecting to improve their Lands, so that when their Time of receiving their Pro visions from the Publick ceased, they were in no Forwardness to main tain themselves out of their own Lands. As they chose to be Hirelings when they might have improved for themselves, the Consequence of that Folly forces them now to work for their daily Bread. These are gener ally discontented with the Country; and if they have run themselves in Debt, their Creditors will not let them go away till they have paid. Considering the Number of People there are but very few of these. The Industrious ones have throve beyond Expectation; most of them that have been there three Years, and many others, have Houses in the Town, which those that Let have, for the worst. .£10 per annum, and the best let for £30. "Those who have cleared their 5 Acre Lotts have made a very great Profit out of them by Greens, Roots, and Corn. Several have improv'd the Cattle they had at first, and have now $ or 6 tarn.; Cows; others, who to save the Trouble of Feeding them, let them go into the Woods, can rarely find them, and when they are brought up, one of them will not give half the quantity of Milk which another Cow fed near Home will give. -.•;..'. " Their Houses are built at a pretty large Distance from one another for fear of Fire ; the Streets are very wide, and there are great Squares left at proper Distances for Markets and other Conveniences Near the Riverside there is a Guard-house inclosed with Palisades a Foot thick, where there are 19 or 20 Cannons mounted, and a continual Guard kept by the Free-holders. This Town is governed by 3 Bailiffs, and has a Recorder, Register, and A Town Court which is holden every six weeks, where all Matters Civil and Criminal are decided by grand and petty Ju ries as in 'England; but there are no Lawyers allowed to plead for Hire, nor no Attornies to take Money, but (as in old times in England) every man plead.s his own Cause. In case it should be an Orphan, or 6ne that cannot speak for themselves, there are Persons of the best Substance in the Town appointed by the Trustees to take care of the Orphans, and to defend the Helpless, and that without Fee Or Reward, it being a Service that each that is capable must perform in his turn. '• They have some Laws and Customs peculiar to Georgia} one 13

HrsTORY OF SAVANNAH.
that all Brandies and distilled Liquors are prohibited under severe Pen* ajties ; another is that no Slavery is allowed, nor Negroes; a Third, that all Persons who go among the Indians must give Security for their good Behaviour; because the Indians, if any Injury is done to them and they cannot kill the man who does it, expect Satisfaction from the Govern ment, which, if not procured, they break out into War by killing the first white Man they conveniently can. " No Victualler or Ale-house Keeper can give any Credit, so conse quently cannot recover any Debt. "The Free-holds are all entailed which has been very fortunate for the Place. If People could have sold, the greatest part, before they knew the Value of their Lotts, would have parted with them for a trifling Con dition, and there were not wanting rich Men who employed Agents to Monopolize the whole Town: And if they had got Numbers of Lotts into their own Hands, the other Free holders would have had no Benefit by letting their Houses/and hardly of Trade, since the Rich, by means of a large Capital, would underlet and undersell, and the Town must have been almost without Inhabitants as Port Royal in Carolina is, by the best Lotts being got into a few Hands. " The mentioning the Laws and Customs leads me to take notice that Georgia is founded upon Maxims different from those on which otjier Colonies have been begun. The Intention of that Colony was an Asylum to receive the distressed. This was the charitable Design, and the gov ernmental View besides that was with Numbers of free white People, well settled, to strengthen 'the southern Part of the English Settlements on the Continent of America, of which this is the Frontier. It is necessary therefore' not to permit Slaves in such a Country, for Slaves starve the poor Labourer. For, if the Gentleman can have his Work done by a Slave who is a Carpenter or a Bricklayer, the Carpenters or Bricklayers of that country must starve for want of Employment, and so of other Trades. "In order to maintain many People it was proper that the Land should be divided into small Portions, and to prevent the uniting them by Mar riage or Purchase. For every Time that two Lotts are united, the Town loses a Family, and the Inconvenience !of this shews itself at Savannah, nptwithstanding the Care of the Trustees to prevent it. They suffered.

EARLY DESCRIPTION.
the Moiety of the Lotts to descend to the Widows during their Lives: Those who remarried to Men who had Lotts of their own, by uniting two Lotts made one to be neglected; for the strength of Hands who could take care of one, was not sufficient to look and improve two. These un cleared Lotts are a Nusance to their neighbors. The Trees which grow upon them shade the Lotts, the Beasts take shelter in them, and for want of clearing the Brooks which pass thro* them, the Lands above are often prejudiced by Floods. To prevent all these Inconveniences the first Regulation of the Trustees was a strict Agrarian Law, by which all the Lands near Towns should be divided, 50 Acres to each Free-holder. The Quantity of Land by Experience seems rather too much, since it ir impossible that one'poor Family can tend ao much Land. If this Alottment is too much, how much more'inconvenient would the uniting of two be? To prevent it, the Trustees grant the Lands in Tail Male, that on the expiring of a Male-Line they may regrant it to such Man, having no other Lott, as shall be married to the next Female Heir of the De ceased, as is of good Character. This manner of Dividing prevents also the Sale of Lands, and the Rich thereby monopolizing the Country. "Each Freeholder has a Lott in Town 60 Foot by 90 Foot, besides which he has a Lott, beyond the Common, of 5 Acres for a Garden. Every ten Hduses make* a Tything, and to every Tything there is a Mile Square, which is divided into 12.Lotts, besides Roads; Each Freeholdes of the Tything has a Lott or Farm of 45 Acres there, and two Lotts are reserved by the Trustees in order to defray the Charge of the Publick. The Town is laid out for two hundred and forty Freeholds; the Quan tity of Lands necessary for that Number is 24 Square Miles; every 40 Houses in Town make a Ward to which 4 Square Miles in the Country belong; each Ward has a Constable, and under him 4 Tything Men. Where the Town-Larids end, the Villages begin; four Villages make a Ward without, which depends upon one of the Wards within the Town. The use of this is, in case a War should happen that the Villages without may have Places in the Town, to bring their Cattle and Families into for Refuge, and to that Purpose there is a Square left in every Ward big enough for the Out-Wards to encamp in. There is Ground also kept round .about the Town ungranted, in order for the Fortifications when ever Occasion shall require. Beyond the Villages commence - Lotts of 10

HISTORY OP SAVANNA!*.
500 Acres; these are granted upon Terms 6f keeping IO Servants, etc. Several Gentlemen who have settled on such Grants have succeeded very well, and have been of great Service to the Colony. Above the Town is a Parcel of Land called Indian Lands; these are those reserved by King Toma-chi-chi for his People. There is nealr the Town to the East, a Garden belonging to the Trustees, consisting* of 10 Acres; the situation is delightful, one half of it is upon the Top of a Hill, the Foot of which the River Savannah washes, and from it yoa see the Woody Islands in the Sea. The Remainder of the Garden is the Side and some plain low ' Ground at the Foot of the Hill where several fine Springs break out In the Garden is variety of Soils; the top is sandy and dry, the Sides of the Hill are Clay, and the Bottom is a black rich Garden Mould, well wa tered. On the North.part of the Garden is left standing a Grove of Part of the old Wood as it was before* the arrival of the Colony there. The Trees in the Grove are mostly Bay, Sassafras, Evergreen Oak, Pellitory, Hickary, American Ash, and the Laurel Tulip. 1 This last is looked upon as one of the most beautiful Trees in the World; it grows straight-bod ied to 40or 50 Foot high; the Bark smooth and whitish, the Top spreads regular like an Orange-tree in English Gardens, only larger; the Leaf is like that of common Laurel, but bigger, and the under-side of a greenish Brown: It blooms about the Month of June; the Flowers are white, fra grant like the Orange, and perfume all the Air around it; the Flower is round, 8 or 10 Inches diameter, thick like the Orange-Flower, and a lit tle yellow near the Heart; As the Flowers drop, the Fruit, which is a Cone with red berries, succeeds them. There are also some Bay-trees that have Flowers like the Laurel, only less. " The Garden is laid put with Cross- walks planted with OrangeWees, but the last Winter a good deal of Snow having fallen, had killed those upon the Top of the Hill dqwn to their Roots, but they being cut down, sprouted again, as I saw when I returned to Savannah. In the Squares between the Walks were vast Quantities of Mulberry trees, this being a Nursery for all the Province, and every Planter that desires it, has young Trees given him gratis from this Nuisery. These white Mul berry trees were planted in order to raise Silk, for which Purpose several Italians were brought, at the Trustees' ExpenCe, from Pudmdnt by Mr
1 Magnolia grartdiflora, the qUeen of the Southern forests.

EARLY DESCRIPTION.

75

Amatis; they have fed Worms and wound Silk to as great Perfection as any that ever came out of Italy; but the Italians falling out, one of them stole away the Machines for winding, broke the Coppers, and spotted ail the Eggs which he could not steal, and fled to South Carolina. The others, who continued faithful, had saved but a few Eggs, when Mr Oglethorpe arrived ; therefore he forbade any Silk should be wound, but that all the Worms should be suffered to eat through their Balls in order to have more Eggs against next Year. The Italian Women are obliged to take English Girls Apprentices, whom they teach to wind and fetd; and the Men have taught our English Gardeners to tend the Mulberry, trees, and our Joyners have learned how to make the Machines for wind* ing. As the Mulberry-trees increase, there will i>e a great Quantity of, Silk made here. •" Beside the Mulberry-trees there are in some of the Quarters m the coldest part of the Garden, all kinds of Fruit- trees usual in England, such as Apples, Pears, &c. In another Quarter are Olives, Figs, Vines, Pome/ granates and such Fruits as are natural to the warmest Parts of Europe. At the bottom of the Hill, well-sheltered from the North-wind, and in the warmest part of the Garden, there was a Collection of West-India Plants and Trees, some Coffee, some Cocoa-Nuts, Cotton, Palma-CJirjsti, and several West India physical Plants, some sent up by M^ Eveliegh a publick-spirited Merchant at Charles-Town, and some by,Dr Houptoun from the Spanish West Indies, where -he was sent at the/Expence of a Collection raised by that curious Physician, Sir Hahs Sfoan, for td col lect and send them to Georgia where the Climate was'capable of making a Garden which might contain all kinds of Plants:/to which Design his Grace the Duke of Richmond, the Earl of Derby, the Lord Peters, and the Apothecary's Company contributed very generously, as did Sir Hans himself.' The Quarrels among the Italians proved fatal to most of these Plants, and they were Jabouring to repair that loss when I was there, Mr. Miller being employ'd in the room of Dr Houstoun who died in Jamaica. We heard he had wrote an Account of his having obtain'd the Plant from whence the true Balsamum Capivi isMrawn; and that he was in hopes
1 On the aoth of February, 1734, the dieath of William Houstoun was reported to the trustees, whereupon, on the recommendation of Sir Hans Sloane, Robert Millar was appointed to succeed him as botanist'to the Colony of Georgia, at a salary of£ 150 pef • " annum,

I- "j

"•1

76

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.
________:_________$______

of getting that from whence the Jesuit's Bark is taken, he designing for that Purpose to send to the Spanish West Indies. \ . "There is a plant of Bamboo Cane brought from the East Indies, and sent over by Mr. Towers, which thrives well. "'There was also some Tea seeds which came from the same Place ; but the latter, though great Care was taken, did not grow. " There were no publick Buildings in the Town, besides a Storehouse; for the Courts were held in a Hut 36 Foot long and 12 Foot wide, made of split Boards, and erected on Mr Ogletlurpes first Arrival in the Col ony. In this Hut also Divine Service was perform'd; but upon his Ar rival this time, Mr OgletJiorpe ordered a House to be erected in the Upper Square, which might serve for a Court House and for Divine Ser vice till a Church could be built, and a Work-house over against it; for as yet there was no Prison here." x

CHAPTER VI.
•?

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THE BROTHERS JOHN AMD CHARLES WESLEY IN GEORGIA.

FTER a short sojourn in Savannah, the Reverend Charles Wesley repaired to Frederica where he entered upon the discharge of his duties as private secretary to General Oglethorpe. It will be remem bered that he also held from the trustees the commission of Secretary of Indian Affairs for the colony of Georgia. Unfortunately, at an early date an estrangement ensued between the general and his secretary. In addition to his official duties, Mr. Wesley assumed the spiritual guidance of the inhabitants at Frederica. He was thus brought into personal contact and confidential relations with the entire population. Among the dwellers there were some whose reputa tions were not without reproach, and whose manner of life did not com mand the approbation of the young ecclesiastic who carried ever with him a standard of morality and religious excellence inculcated in the school
i Moore's Voyage to Georgia, pp. 23-33. London. 1744.

A

REV. CHARLES WESLEY.

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77

of the divines, yet seldom realized in the walk and conversation of ordi nary mortals. Youthful and inexperienced, confiding in his disposition, unsuspecting, and liable to be imposed upon by the designing and the unscrupulous, his sympathies were not infrequently warmly'enlisted where the mature judgment of one better informed and not unacquainted with the wiles of his fellow-men, and women too, would have suggested caution and reflection. Fresh from the shades of scholastic life he was, without preparation, transplanted into the midst of a community hetero geneous in its character and, from the very nature of its composition and situation, largely insensible to the restraining influences of civiliza tion. Deeply imbued with religious sentiments, and intent upon the execution of his evangelical mission, he regarded all the business of life, as wholly subordinate to an observance of the rules of the church and the exhibition of Christian virtues. Wherever he detected a deviation from what he conceived to be the true path of rectitude he did not hesi tate to rebuke the wanderer. Fastidious in his notions of right and wrong, with ample time and inclination to listen to the disagreements existent among the settlers, often misinformed as to the genuine merits of the quarrel, ignorant of the true mode of adjusting it, busying him self with matters which properly did not concern him, sometimes inter fering where he should have stood aloof, and again espousing causes which, upon a narrower inspection, should not have enlisted his sympa thies, in his efforts to promote peace and advance the Christianity of the community he signally failed, and drew down upon himself the ill-will of ' not a few. Oglethorpe, on the other hand, burdened with the cares and the re sponsibilities of his station, commissioned to develop and guard the life of the colony, confronting engagements, exposures, and dangers enough to oppress the stoutest heart, and familiar with the management of men and weighty affairs, had no leisure for the exhibition of idle sentiment or the discussion of questions of casuistry. With trifling evils and imagi • • nary wrongs he could not pause to deal. These two men viewed the situation from standpoints widely differ ent. Oglethorpe strove to fortify the hearts and the homes of his people so that they might constitute an insurmountable barrier to the threat ened incursion of the Spaniards. While not indifferent to the social and

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HISTORY OF SAVANNA**.
moral tone of Frederica, and while solicitous that religion should be upheld and the ordinances of the church supported, he was deeply en grossed in the building oftiouses, the construction of batteries, the accu mulation of supplies, and the enforcement of police and military regula tions. At this remote and exposed point he exacted and commanded prompt obedience from all Clothed with the amplest powers to direct, his measures may at times havie seemed to the clergyman, accustomed to question, arbitrary and perhaps dictatorial. The situation was novel, and the ecclesiastic brougfct no experience to asteist him in learning the •" I lesson of the hour. As has been suggested, Mr. Wesley attempted the difficult task t»f reforming what he regarded as improprieties in the conduct of the inhab itants of Fredericar and of reconciling the petty jealousies and occasional disputes in which they indulged. The consequence was just what might reasonably have been anticipated. He failed in his object and incurred the enmity of both parties at variance. Many went so far as to form plans to rid the town of his presence. Complaints were lodged against him with General Oglethorpe, who, instead of discountenancing them and demanding for his secretary and clergyman the deference and re spect due to his station, listened too readily to the charges preferred and suffered them to prejudice his mind against " the truly amiable, ingenu ous, and kind-hearted minister." Failing to interpret leniently his well*meant but injudiciously conducted purposes, and omitting to caution him in a friendly way against the commission of acts prompted by inexpe rience and the lack of worldly wisdom, he treated him with disdain and neglect. The apology suggested by Mr. Southey for this conduct on the part of Oglethorpe is, perhaps, the most plausible which can be offered. The general, who had causes enough to disquiet him, arising from the pre carious state of the colony, was teased and soured by the complaints urged against Mr. Wesley, and regretted that he had not brought with him one possessing a calmer temper and a more practical turn of mind. " I know not how to account for his increasing coldness," writes Welsey in speaking of his intercourse with Oglethorpe. .His accusers noted the change which had been produced by their insinuations, and taking ad vantage of it manifested more openly than before their animosity toward

CHARLES WESLEY.
the clergyman. His situation was now most unpleasant. His useful ness was gone. Little respect was extended by the inhabitants o£Fred erica. Even his personal safety was threaten? d. All friends, except Mr. Jngham, had seemingly deserted him. He was even charged by the gen eral with mutiny and sedition, and with stirring up the people to desert the colony. This Wesley sto.utly denied and demanded that he should be confronted face to face with his accusers. Upon further examination the grave suggestions proved to be unfounded. This Oglethrope prac tically admitted, and yet outwardly declined to come to a reconciliation with his secretary, who still continued to wait upon him and to discharge the duties of his position. . ' Mr. Wesley was totally unprepared for the rough mode of life he experienced on the southern frontier. He had brought with him noth ing save his clothes and books, and was mortified and incensed at the failure and neglect to supply him with necessary comforts. • In the midst of his distresses he was seized with a fever which so unnerved him that he envied the quiet grave of a scout-boatman who had just died. In an hour of calm .reflection, becoming convinced of the injustice shown to Mr. Wesley, GeneraPOglethorpe, then on the eve of setting out upon a dangerous expedition, sent for his secretary and thus addressed him: "You will soon see the reasons for my actions. I am now going to death. You will see me no more. Take this ring and carry it from me to Mr. V——. If there is a friend to be depended upon, he is one. His .interest is next fo Sir Robert's. Whatever you ask within his power he will do for you, your brother, and your family. I have expected death for some days. These letters show that the Spainards have long been seducing our allies, and intend to cut us off at a blow. I fall by my friends:—Gascoigne whom I have made, the Carolina people upon whom I depended to send their .promised succors. But death is to me noth ing. T—— will pursue all my designs, and to.him I recommend them and you." "He then gave me," says Mr. Wesley, "a diamond ring. I r took it and said ' If as I believe,
Postremum fato quod te alloquor, hoc est,

hear what you will quickly know to be true as soon as you are entered upon a seperate state. This ring I shall never make any use of for my self. I have no worldly hopes. I have renounced the world. Life is

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.
bitterness to me. I came hither to lay it down. You have been de ceived as well as I. I protest my innocence of the crimes I am charg ed with, and take myself to be now at liberty to tell you what I thought [Then follow in the MS. Journal some I should never Have 'uttered.' lines in cipher.] When I finished this relation he seemed entirely chang ed, and full of his old love and confidence in me. After some expres sions of kindness, I asked him 'Are you satisfied?' He replied'Yes, entirely.' * Why then Sir, I desire nothing more upon earth, and care not how soon I follow you.' .... He then embraced and kissed me with the most cordial affection. .1 attended him to the scout-boat where he waited some minutes for his sword. They brought him first, and a second time, a mourning sword. At last they gave him his own which had been his father's. 'With this sword/ said he, 'I was never yet unsuccessful.' ' I hope, sir,' said I, 'you carry with you a. better, even the sword of the Lord and of Gideon.' ' I hope so too,' he added. When the boat put off, I ran before into the woods to see my last of him. Seeing me and two others running after him, he stopped the boat and asked whether we wanted anything. Cap tain Mclntosh, left commander, desired his last orders. I then said 'God be with you. Go forth, Christo duce et auspice Ckristo,' You have' says he, * I think, some verses of mine. You there see my thoughts of of success.' His last words to'his people were 'God bless you all.' The boat the-n carrie'd him out of sight" * Thus came a rift in the angry skies through which the sunlight of mutual confidence and restored friendship descended to dispel the doubts arid gladden the hearts of the general and his secretary. Upon Oglethorpe's return Wesley met him at the bluff; and, in the evening, they walked together. The general then*informed him of the dangers which had recently threatened the colony. Upon giving him back his ring Wesley remarked," I need not, Sir, and indeed I can not tell you how joyfully and thankfully I return this." *• When I gave it to you," responded Oglethorpe," I never expected to receive it again, but thought it would be of service to your brother and you. I had many omens ol my death, particularly their bringing me my mourning sword; but God has been pleased to preserve a life which was never valuable to me, and yet
1 Journalof the Rfi1. Charles \Velsey, vol. i. p. p. 19, 20.

REV. CHARLES WESLEY.
in the continuance of it. I thank God, I can rejoice. 1' I am now glad," replied Wesley, " of all that has happened here, since without it I could never have had such a proof of your affection as that you gave me when you looked upon me as the most ungrateful of Villains." While Wesley was speaking, the general appeared full of tenderness toward him. He condemned himself for his late anger, which he imputed to want of time for consideration. , . , . " The next day," continues Wesley, " I had some farther talk with him. He ordered me everything he could think I wanted, and promised to have a house built for me immediately. He was just the same tome he formerly had been." Finding that the secretary was restored to the gen eral's favor, the people of Frederica became on the instant civil and courteous. In May, 1736, Mr. Wesley took leave of the general, having been deputed by him to repair to Savannah and there grant licenses to the Indian traders. In alluding to tliis departure from Frederica he writes: " I was overjoyed at my deliverance out of this furnace, and a not a little ashamed at myself for being so." Persuaded that his days of usefulness in the colony were ended, and purposing a return to England, Mr. Wesley, in June, resigned his commission. In discussing this matter with him General Oglethorpe said: "I would you not let the trustees know your resolution of resigning. There are many hungry fellows ready to catch at the office ; and, in my absence, I cannot put in one of my owfi choos ing. The best I can hope for is an honest Presbyterian, as many of the Trustees are such. Perhaps they may send me a bad man, and how far such a one may influence the traders and obstruct the reception of the Gospel among the heathen, you know. I shall be in England before you leave it Then you may either put in a deputy or resign." Charged with dispatches from the general to the government, the trustees, and the board of trade, Wesley bade adieu to Savannah, and, after a tedious and dangerous voyage interrupted by a deviation to Boston, at which port the vessel, the London Galley, was compelled to put in for repairs and -provisions, went ashore at Deal on the. 3d of December. He had been accompanied to Charlestown, South Carolina, whence he sailed, by his brother John. At the time of his departure he was greatly enfeebled by a bloody flux and a fever. u "

HISTORY OF SAVANNAI}.
It was his inteouon to return to Georgia; and with this object in view he retained his office until April, 1738^ While then recovering from an attack of pleurisy he was notified to embark for the province. His physicians forbade him to undertake the journey. He accordingly renewed his resignation, but General Oglethorpe, " unwilling to loose so honest and faithful an officer," still urged him to retain his place, promis ing to supply it with a deputy until he was "sufficiently recovered to follow." This flattering invitation he felt constrained to decline. In the ensuing month his resignation was accepted, and his connection with the affairs of the colony terminated. . It is wotthy of remembrance that the idea of founding and maintaining an orphan house in Georgia was first suggested to the Rev. Mr. Whitefield by the Rev. Charles Wesley. Upon his arrival in Georgia the Rev. John Wesley, then unknown to fame, but at a later period regarded as the " greatest figure that has appqared in the religious world since the Reformation," accompanied by his friend Delamotte, became a resident of Savannah. Although com missioned as a spiritual adviser to the inhabitants of that town, he pre ferred to announce and to regard himself rather as a missionary to the Indians than as a minister to the colonists. Chafing under the confine ment incident to the discharge of his clerical duties in Savannah, he declared, " I never promised to stay here one month. I openly stated, both before and ever since my coming hither, that I neither would nor could take charge of the English any longer than till I could go among the Indians." His ambitipn was to convert the heathen. With Tomochi-chi he had an interview on the I4th of February, 1736. The mico assured him that although the Indians were perplexed by the French on the one hand, by the Spaniards on the other, and by traders in their midst, and that while their ears were now shut and their tongues divided, he would call his chiefs together and persuade the wise men of his nation to hear the Great Word. He cautioned the' missionary against making Christians after the fashion in which they were manufactured by the Spaniards, and counseled instruction before baptism. Well did he un derstand that, for the time being, the presentation of a string of beads or of a silver cross would suffice to seduce the native from the primitive faith in which he had been reared, but in such conversion he reposed no

REV. JOHN WESLEY.

83
, *

confidence. The conduct of white Christians impressed him unfavora bly. Nevertheless he was willing to afford the missionary every facility for the prosecution of his contemplated labors, and by influence and example to induce others to hearken to his teachings. There lurked, how ever, in the breast of the mico a grave doubt as to the success of the mission. Mr. Wesley's reply, 1 while perhaps just in the abstract, was little calculated to win the confidence or encourage the sympathy of the chief; "There is but one :—He that sitteth in Heaven,— who is able to teach man wisdom. Tho* we are come so far, we know not whether He will please to teach you. by us or no. If He teaches you, you will learn Wisdom, but we can do nothing." „ On another occasion, when urged by Mr. Wesley to hearken to the doctrines of Christianity and become a convert, the old man scornfully responded : " Why these are Christians at Savannah ! Those are Chris tians at Frederica! Christians drunk! Christians beat men! Chris tians tell lies! Me no Christian." Upon the termination of a public audience with the Indians, Mr. Wesley and Tomo-chi-chi*dined with Mr. Oglethorpe. The meal con cluded, the clergyman asked the aged mico " what he thought he was made for." " He that is above," replied the Indian, "knows what He made us for. We know nothing. We are in the dark. But white men know much, and yet white men build great houses as if they were to live forever. But white men cannot live forever. In a little time white men will be dust as well as I." Wesley responded, " If red men will learn the Good Book they may know as much as white men. But neither we nor you can understand that Book unless we are taught by Him that is above; and He will"not teach unless you avoid what you already know is not good." "I believe that," said the chief. "He will not teach us while our hearts are not white, and our men do what they know is not good. Therefore, He that is above does not send us the Good Book." In these sentiments o'f the native we recognize a strange commingling of satire, irony, and candor, which indicated strength in an apparent confes sion of weakness, evinced knowledge by an admission of ignorance, and pointed the self-satisfied clergyman to the contemplation of that stern tdecree which levels both small and great, wise and foolish, civilized and
I An Extract of the Rev. Mr, John Wesley's Journal, etc., p. II. Bristol, n. d.

'[. -. -i
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84

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

savage, remanding the mightiest as well as the lowliest to one common grave. , In Spence's'" Anecdotes " 1 we are informed that in a conversation between General Oglethorpe and Tomo-chi-chi in regard to prayer,-the latter said the Indians never prayed to God but left it with Him to do what He thought best for them: " that the asking for any particular blessing looked to him like directing God; and, if so, that it must be a .very wicked thing. That for his part he thought everything that hap pened in the world was as it should be ; that God bf Himself would do for every one what was consistent with the good of the whole; and that our duty to him was to be content with whatever happened in general, and thankful for all the good that happened in particular." In this conviction the Indian was not singular. Apollonius frequently asserted that the'only supplication which ought to be offered by wt>rshipers in the temples of the gods was: " O gods ! grant us those things which you deem most conducive" to our well-being." Socrates, that oracle of human wisdom, because th£ gods who were accustomed to bestow favors were best able to sefect such gifts as were most fit, warned his disciples against the danger arid impropriety of offering petitions for specific things. The prayer, " O Jupiter, ea quae bona sunt nobis orantibus, aut non orantibus tribue; quae vero mala, etiam orantibus ne con cede," has been more than once in the school of the philosophers com mended as most appropriate. In that wonderful satire in which Juvenal, by apt examples, portrays the ruhious consequences which have ensued where the gods complied with the expressed desires of men, it will be remembered that in answer to the inquiry, " Nil ergo oplabunt homines ? " he respotids,—
« .. . " Si c6iisilium vis, Permhtes ipsis expendefe numinibus quid Convehiat nobis, rebusque sit utiie nobus."•'

Epicurus believed that invocations, prayers, and sacrifices were super fluous ; that in all the accidents and difficulties of life there was no pro priety in having recourse to the gods, or in prostrating ourselves before
'London.edition of 1820, p. 318. * Tenth Satire, line 346 et sty.

\

REV. JOHN WESLEY.
their altars; but that we ought, in perfect tranquility, to contemplate all the vicissitudes of life, and, without emotion, confront the changing for tunes which might befall us. , " On Tuesday, the 2Oth day of July," says Mr. Wesley in his journal, " five of the Chicasaw Indians (twenty of whom had been in Savannah several days) came to see us, with Mr. Andrews, their interpreter. They were all warriors;—four of them Head-men. The two chiefs were Paustoobee and Mingo Mattaw. Our conference was as follows: " Q. Do you believe there is One above who is over all things ? Paustoobee answered : " We believe there are four Beloved Things above; the Clouds, the Sun, the Clear Sky, and He that lives in the Clear Sky. ' _ " Q. Do you believe there is but One that lives in the Clear Sky ? " A. We believe there are two with him,—three in all. " Q. Do you think He made the Sun and the other Beloved Things ? "A. We canno.t tell. Who hath seen ? " Q. Do you think he made you ? " A. We think He made all men at first. " Q. How did he make them at first ? - "A. Out of the ground. " Q. Do you believe He loves you ? • " A. I don't know. I cannot see him. " Q. But has He not often saved your life ? "A. He has. Many bullets have gone on this side and many on7 that side, but he would not let them hurt me. And many bullets have gone into these young Men, and yet they are alive. «, " Q. Then, can't He save you from your enemies now ? " A. Yes; but we know not if He will. We have now so many enemies round about us that I think of nothing but death. And if I am to die, I shall die, and I will die like a man. But if He will have me to live, I shall live. Tho' I had ever so many enemies, he can destroy them all. ' " Q. How do you know that"?

„ "A. From what I have seen. When our enemies came against us before, then the Beloved Clouds came for us. And often much rain and sometimes hail has come upon them, and that in a very hot day. And

86

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

I saw when many French and Choctaws and other nations came against one of our towns. And the ground made a noise under them, and the Beloved Ones in the air behind them. And they were afraid and went away, and left their meat and drink and their guns. I tell no lje. - All these saw it, too. " Q. Have you heard such noises at other times ? " A. Yes, often ; before and after almost every battle. " Q. What sort of Noises were they ? "A. Like the noise of drums and guns and shouting. " Q. Have you heard any such lately ? "A. Yes, four days after our last battle with the French. " Q. Then you heard nothing before it ? "A. The night before I dream'd I heard many drums up there, and many trumpets there, and much stamping of feet and shouting. Till then I thought we should all die. But then I thought the Beloved Ones were come to help us. And the next day I heard above a hundred guns go off before the fight begun. And I said when the Sun is there the Be loved Ones will help us, and we shall conquer our Enemies. And we . did so. " Q. Do you often think and talk of thie Beloved Ones ? " A. We think of them always, wherever we are. We talk of them and to them, at home and abroad, in peace, in war, before and after we fight, and indeed whenever and wherever we meet together. " Q. Where do you think your souls go after death ? "4- We believe the Souls of Red Men walk up and down near the place where they died, or where their bodies lie. For we have often heard cries and noises near the place where any prisoners had been ; burnt «' Q. Where do the Souls of White Mei go after death ? "A. We can't tell We have not seen. " Q. Our belief is that the souls of bad men only walk up and down: * but the souls of good men go up. "A. I believe so too. But I told you the talk of the nation. " (&fr. Andrews. They said at the burying* they knew what you were
1 Some days previously a young woman had been buried in Savannah, and these In dians were present at the funeral.

,:^sy.-^^^^

&EV. JOHN WESL^Y.
doing. You were speaking to the Beloved Ones above to take up the soul of the young woman.) " Q- We have a Book that tells us many things of the Beloved One above. Would you be glad to know them? "A. We have no time now but to tight If we should ever be at peace we should be glad to know. Q. Do you expect ever to know what the White Men know ? "(Mr. Andrews. They told Mr. O. they believe the time will come when the Red and the White Men will be one.) ' ." Q. What do the French teach you ? " A. The French Black-Kings1 never go out We see you go about. We like that That is good. " Q. How came your nation by the knowledge they have ? "A. As soon as ever the Ground was found and fit to stand upon, it came to us, and has been with us ever since. But we are young men. Our old men know more. But all of them do not know. There are but a few whom the Beloved One chuses from a child, and is in them, and takes care of them, and teaches them. They know these things: and our old men practice: therefore they know: But I don't practice. Therefore I know little. " 2 . So far as we can ascertain, further conferences between Mr. Wesley and the Indians were infrequent and unaccompanied by any valuable re sults. Ignorant of their language, and unable to command an interpre ter through whom the mysteries of his faith might be intelligently com municated, Mr. Wesley found his cherished scheme for the conversion of the Indians impracticable. He was forced to abandon it and to devpte himself to clerical labors among the Europeans. His first impressions of Savannah were happy. Writing to his mother hd says, "The place is pleasant beyond imagination, and by all I can learn, exceeding healthful even in Summer for those who are not intem perate." He desires that some of the poor and religious persons of Epworth and Wroote would come over to him. Although his parishioners
x Priests. * An Extract of the Rev. Mr. Joktt Weshy's Journal, pp. 26-28. Bristol, n. d. '

i J

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.
numbered some seven hundred,1 there being no church edifice, religious services were held in the court-house. His scholarly attainments, earnest manner* and well-considered discourses at first attracted the favorable notice of the community. So popular was he then as a preacher that, a public ball and religious exercises being announced for the same hour, "tne church was full, while the ball-room was so empty that the enter tainment could not go forward." Contrasting his agreeable surroundings with the .trials which his brother Charles was experiencing at Frederica, he exclaims, "How dif ferent are the ways wherein we are led; yet I hope toward the same end. I have hitherto had no opposition at all; all is smooth and fair and prom ising. Many seem to be awakened ; all are full of respect and commen dation. We cannot see any cloud gathering; but this calm cannot last; storms must come hither too ; and let them come when we are ready to .meet them." . *. His friend Delamotte had organized a school of between thirty and forty children whom he taught to "read, write, and cast accounts." Every Saturday afternoon, and on the Lord's day before the evening service, Mr. Wesley catechised these pupils. Thus was inaugurated the first Sundayschool in the province of Georgia. As many of his parishioners as desired to do so met at his house after the evening service, and also on every Wednesday afternoon to "spend about an hour in prayer, singing, and mutual exhortation." This was the earliest series o'f prayer-meetings held in the colony; and here, in the modest and scantily furnished reception room of the parsonage in Savan nah, was cradled the Methodist Episcopal Church, destined to become one of the most potent societies among the Protestant denominations of the workJ.2 •
1 In July, 1737, Mr. Wesley took a census of Savannah by going from house to house, and computed the number of inhabitants at 518, of whom 149 were under six teen years of age. The rest of his parishioners dwelt in the neighborhood of the town. * Mr. Wesley thus interprets the rise of Methodism : " The first rise of Methodism was in 1729, when four of us met together at Oxford The second was at Savannah in 1736, when twenty or thirty persons met at my house. The last was at London on this day, May ist, 1738, when forty or fifty of us agreed to meet together every Wednesday Evening." .

REV. JOHN WESLEY.

89

With the Moravian bishop, Nitschman, he associated on terms of the, closest and tenderest intimacy. Truly did he admire his simple faith, un ostentatious piety, his quiet demeanor, his stern integrity, his irreproach able character. It was most agreeable to him to commune with the , members of that sect and to minister to them in seasons of sickness and. distress. His clerical engagements at Savannah were occasionally inter- x rupted by visits to Frederica. There he found " so little either of the form or powder of religion" that he expresses his joy in being " removed from it" Despite his earnestness and regularity in the discharge of his oriestly ministrations, his labors ceased to be crowned with the success vrhich at the outset of his career waited upon them, and he clearly perceived tliat his popularity both as a preacher and as a spiritual adviser was m« rtifestly on the wane. Persuaded that his whole heart was in his work, h<: was at a loss to account for these distressing indications, which daily gre w more decided. ' . Observing much coolness in the behavior of one who had piofessed friendship for him, Mr. Wesley demanded the reason, and was arswered on this wise: " I like nothing you do; all your sermons are satires upon particular persons. Therefore I will never hear you more: anddll the people are of my mind, for we won't hear ourselves abused. Besides, they say they are Protestants, but as for you they can't tell what relig ion you are of. They never heard of such a religion before. They do not know what to make of it. And then your private behavior : all the quarrels that have been here since you came have been long of you. In deed there is neither man nor woman in the town who minds' a word you say; and so you may preach long enough, but nobody will come to hear you," , Many took offense at his rigid adherence to the custom of baptism by immersion. In the celebration of the Lord's Supper he would admit no Dissenter to the Communion unless he consented to be re baptized. He insisted upon dividing the public prayers "according to the original ap pointment of the Church;" beginning the morning prayers at five, the litany, Communion office, and sermon at eleven, and the evening service at three. He was also charged with a design to establish auricular con fession as a prerequisite to admission to the privileges of the Holy Com12

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.
munion. Forgetting the injunctions of the Rev. Dr. Burton, so exces sive was his zeal in the advocacy of favorite doctrinal views and in the de nunciation of evil, that Be moulded his discourses so that they became caustic satires not only upon the condition of affairs but upon the conduct of individuals. His rebukes and corrections were pungently admin istered alike in private and in public. He was on all occasions a censor morum, and his criticisms were passed equally upon magistrate, citizen, and church member. Instead of drawing men by the cords of love, he alienated them by his denunciations and applied strictures. In the lan guage of another, he "drenched them with the physic of an'intolerarft discipline." Overstepping the limits which should be observed at all times by a clergyman, he busied himself with the quarrels and complaints of the town, and in open court counseled the inhabitants to oppose the magistrates in the execution of justice. 1 Such unusual conduct angered the people, and gradually they dis continued their attendance upon divine worship. Wesley lost the power which he at first exerted over the consciences of the populace. He alien ated the affections of his hearers, and in the 'end became convinced that he was accomplishing little in the service of his Master. Not long after wards, in reviewing this period of his life, so unsatisfactory in its efforts and so replete with trials and disappointments, he freely confessed that he who went to America to convert others was then himself unconverted to God; 2 that all the time he was in Savannah he was "beating the air," " fighting continually but not conquering," and failing to appreciate the loving kindness of the Lord. He who at subsequent period
".Filled the earth with golden fruit, With ripe millennial love,"

was the prolific cause of unrest, and almost an object of hatred in the community. Meanwhile Mr. Wesley enjoyed wonderful health. His constitution seemed to improve under hardships and labors which would have im paired the stoutest physical powers. Of the three hundred acres set
1 Stephen 's Journal of Proceedings, vol. i., p. 15. London. MDCCXLII. 'Extract of the Journal of the Rev, Mr. John Wesley, p. 73. Bristol, n. d,

REV. JOHN WESLEY.
apart in Savannah for glebe land, he cut off what he deemed sufficient for a good garden, and there he frequently worked with his own hands. He ate moderately, slept little, and left not a moment of his time unem ployed. To the changing seasons, and in all kinds of weather, he ex posed himself with the utmost indifference. His journeys into South Carolina were sometimes performed on foot, and with no shelter at night save the friendly boughs of'a tree. 'His energy, resolution, self-denial, and endurance were at all times conspicuous. The circumstances which brought the usefulness and services of Mr. Wesley as a clergyman in Savannah to an abrupt and a notorious con clusion may be thus briefly narrated. With Mr. Causton, the chief bai liff and keeper of the public stores, and with the members of his family, the missionary associated on friendly terms. Miss Sophia Hopkins, a niece of Mrs. Causton, and a young woman of uncommon personal and intellectual charms, had been his pupil. He gave her French lessons. Under his religious ministrations she became a professed convert and united herself with the church. It would appear that this constant asso ciation with a pretty, fascinating maiden eventually excited tender emo tions in the breast of the youthful and susceptible ecclesiastic. He was evidently on the eve of declaring his affection when his friend, Mr. Delamotte, excited his apprehensions by expressing doubts in regard to the sincerity of Miss Hopkin's religious convictions. He also cautioned him against cherishing or avowing too fond kn attachment for her., Taking counsel of the Moravian elders, they advised him not to contemplate a matrimonial alliance with her.' Thus admonished, Mr. Wesley became more guarded in his conduct and more reserved in his intercourse. Per ceiving the change in his deportment, Miss Hopkins was piqued, morti fied, and angered. Something closely resembling a rupture ensued; and, not long afterwards, this charming and coquettish young lady gave her hand to a Mr. Williamson. A few months subsequent to her marriage Mr. Wesley "observed. some things which he thought reprovable in her behavior." He men tioned them to her. "At this," writes that clergymen in his Journal, " She appeared extremely angry and said she did not expect such usage from me." The next day Mrs Causton made excuses for her niece, and expressed much regret at what had transpired.

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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

Having after the lapse of a few weeks, " repelled Mrs. Williamson from the Holy Communion," Mr. Wesley was arrested under the follow ing warrant issued by the recorder: " GEORGIA. SAVANNAH, s. s. " T& all Constables, Tythingmen, and others whom these may concern,:
"You and each of you are hereby required to take the body of John Wesley, Qerk: and bring him before one of the Bailiffs of the said Town to answer the complaint of William WilHamson and Sophia his wife, for defaming the said Sophia, and .refusing to administer to her the Sacra ment of the Lord's Supper in a publick Congregation without cause, by which the said William Williamson is damaged One Thousand Pounds Sterling. And for so doing this is your Warrant, certifying what you are to do in the premises.

"Given under my hand and seal the 8th day of Aug: Anno. Dom: 1737. « TH* CHRISTIE."
By Jones, the constable, he was carried before the recorder and bail iff Parker. Williamson was there. To the charge that he had defamed his wife, Mr. Wesley entered a prompt and emphatic denial. As to the other allegation, he answered that "the giving or refusing the Lord's Supper being a matter purely ecclesiastical," he would not acknowledge any power in the magistrate to interrogate him in regard to it. Mr. Par ker informed'him that he must appear before the next court to be holden for Savannah. Mr. Williamson then said, " Gentlemen, I desire Mr. Wes ley may give bail for his appearance." But Mr, Parker immediately re fused the application, with the remark, " Sir, Mr. Wesley*s word is suffi cient" Causton required that the reasons which induced Mr. Wesley to repel Mrs. Williamson from the Holy Communion should be assigned in open court. To this demand the clergyman declined to accede. On the sec ond day after the arrest Mr. Causton visited Mr. Wesley at his house, and after some sharp words said, " Make an end of this matter. Thou hadst best My Niece to be used thus! I have drawn the sword and I will never sheath it till I have satisfaction." " Soon after," so runs Mr. Wesley's diary, " he added, 'Give the reasons of your repelling her before the whole congregation.' 1 affswered, 'Sir, if you insist upon it I will, and so you may be pleased to tell her.' He said 'write to her and tell her so yourself.' I said, 'I will, r and after he went I wrote as follows :

&EV. JOHN WESLEY.
"To MRS. SOPHIA WILLIAMSON.

93

" At Mr. Causton's request I write once more. The Rules whereby I . > proceed are these:. "So many as intend to be Partakers of the Holy Communion shall sig nify their names to the Curate at least some time the day before. This you did not do. "And if any of these —=—have done any wrong to his Neighbors, by word or deed, so that the Congregation be thereby offended, the Curate shall advertise him that in any wise he presume not to come to the Lord's Table until he hath openly declared himself to have truly repented. If you offer yourself at the Lord's Table on Sunday, I will advertise you (as I have done more than once) wherein you have done wrong. And when, you have openly declared yourself to have truly repented, I will admin JOHN WESLEY. ister to you the Mysteries of God. "Aug. ii, 1737. " Mr. Delamotte carrying this Mr. Causton remarked, among other warm sayings, ' I am the person that am injured. The affront is offered to me, and I will espouse the cause of my Niece. I am ill-used, and I will have satisfaction if it is to be had in the world.' " Which way this satisfaction was to be had, I did not yet conceive. But on Friday and Saturday it began to appear; Mr. Causton declaring to many persons that Mr. Wesley had repelled Sophy from the Holy Communion purely out of revenge, because he had made proposals of marriage to her which she rejected and married Mr. Williamson." ^Having thoroughly espoused the cause of his niece, Mr. Causton set about stirring up the public mind and endeavored to create a general sentiment adverse to Mr. Wesley. He even busied himself with the selec tion of jurors whose sympathies were in unison with his own. Persuaded by him, Mrs. Williamson made an affidavit, full of insinuations, in which she asserted "that Mr. Wesley had many times proposed marriage to her, all which proposals she had rejected." When the grand jury was' impaneled, it was manifest that Causton had much to'do with its composition. Forty-four members were pres ent, and among them Wesley noted one Frenchman, who did not under stand the English language, a Papist, a professed infidel, three Baptists, sixteen or seventeen Dissenters, and several persons who had quarreled with him and openly vowed revenge.

$4
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HlSfORY OF SAVAN&Aft.
«. .

The court being organized on Monday the 22d, Mr. Causton deliv ered a long and earnest charge, in which he cautioned the jurymen " to beware of spiritual tyranny, and to. oppose the new and illegal authority which was usurped over their consciences." The chief bailiff, uncle by marriage to the complainant, was playing the double role of judge and prosecuting attorney. Mrs. Williamson's affidavit having been read, Causton delivered to the gjand jury a paper entitled " A List of Griev ances presented by the Grand Jury for Savannah, this——-day of Aug., 1737." . It had evidently been prepared under his direction, and was de signed to mould, in advance the finding of that body. . After holding this document under advisement for more than a week, and after the exami nation of sundry witnesses, the jury on the 1st of September returned that paper into court As modified by a majority, it read as follows: " That John Wesley, Clerk, hath broken the Laws of the Realm, con trary to the Peace of our Sovereign Lord the King, his Crown and Dignity: . "i. By speaking and writing to Mrs. Williamson against her hus band's consent; " 2. By repelling her from the Holy Communion; " 3. By not declaring his Adherence to the Church of England ; "4. By dividing the Morning Service on Sundays; "5- By refusing to baptize Mr. Parker's child otherwise than by dip ping, except the parents would certify it was weak and not able to bear it; "6. By Repelling Win. Gough fronrthe Holy Communion; "7. By refusing to read the Burial-service over the body of Nathaniel Polhill; " 8. By calling himself Ordinary of Savannah; " 9. By refusing to receive Wm. Aglionby as a God-father only be cause he was not a communicant; *' 10. By refusing Jacob Matthews for the same reason, and baptizing an Indian Trader's Child with only two sponsors. 1" Nine of these charges being purely ecclesiastical in their character, Mr. Wesley insisted that the present court could" take no cognizance of them. As to the rest of the indictment he pleaded not guilty and de manded an immediate trial. Again and again did he press for a hearing, which was denied upon some frivolous pretext or other, such, for exam-

REV. JOHN WESLEY:

v

95

pie, as that " Mr. Williamson was gone out of town." So malevolent was the spirit moving the parties preferring these charges against Mr. Wesley that with a view1 to damaging his clerical reputation far and near they caused the indictment found by a majority of the grand jury to.be pub lished in various newspapers in America. Mr. Wesley had openly avowed a desire to answer directly to the trustees. Twelve of the jurors, three of them being constables and six tithing-men, who would constitute a majority had that body been prop erly constituted of four constables and eleven tithing-men, signed the following document which was transmitted in due course: " To the Honorable the Trustees for Georgia. "Whereas two Presentments have been made, the one of August 23rd, the other of August 3ist, by the Grand Jury for the Town and County of Savannah in Georgia, against John Wesley, Clerk : "We, whose names are underwritten, being Members of the said Grand Jury, do humbly beg leave to signify our dislike of the said Presentments, being by many and divers circumstances thro'ly persuaded in ourselves that the whole charge,against Mr. Wesley is an artifice of Mr. Causton's, design'd rather to blacken the character of Mr. Wesley than to free the Colony from Religious Tyranny as he was pleased in his charge to .us to term it. But as these circumstances will be too tedious to trouble your Honors with, we shall only beg leave to give the Reasons of our Dissent . from the particular Bills. " With regard to the First Bill we do not apprehend that Mr. Wesley acted against any laws by writing or speaking to Mrs. Williamson, since it does not appear to us that the said Mr. Wesley has either spoke In' private or wrote to the said Mr& Williamson since March 12 [the day of her marriage] except one letter of July the 5th, which he wrote at the request of her aunt, as a Pastor, to exhort and reprove her. " The Second we do not apprehend to be a true Bill because we hum bly conceive Mr. Wesley did not assume to himself any authority con trary to Law: for we understand every person intending to communicate should 'signify his name to the Curate at least some time the day before,' which Mrs. Williamson did not do: altho' Mr. Welsey had often, in full congregation, declared he did insist on a compliance with that Rubrick, and had before repell'd divers person for non-compliance there with.

>"*£.;*

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.
/' The Third we do not think a True Bill because several of us have been his 'hearers when he has declared his adherence to the Church of England in a stronger manner than by a. formal Declaration; by explain ing and defending the Apostles', the Nicene, and the Athanasian Creeds, the Thirty Nine Articles, the whole Book of Common Prayer, and the Homilies of the said Church: and because we think a formal Declaration is not required but from those who have receiv'd Institution and Induction. "Thfr Fact alleged in the Fourth Bill we cannot apprehend to be con , trary to any" law in being. ^ • "The Fifth we do not think a true Bill, because^fre conceive Mr.Wesley is justified by the Rubrick, viz : ' If they (the Parents) certify that the child is weak, it shall su$ce to pour water upon it': intimating (as we humbly suppose) it shall not suffice if they do not certify. " The Sixth cannot be a true Bin because the said William Gough, being one of our members, was surprized to bear himself named without •his knowledge or privity, and did poblickly declare ' It was no griev ance to him, because the said John Wesley had given- him reasons with which he was satisfied.' " The Seventh we do not apprehend to be a true Bill, for Nathaniel Polhill was an Anabaptist, and desir'd in his life-time that he might not be interr*d with the Office of the Church of England. And further, we have good reason to believe that Mr. Wesley was at Frederica, or on his return thence, when Polhill was buried. "As to the Eighth Bill we are in doubt, as not well knowing the mean ing of the word Ordinary. But, for the Ninth and Tenth we think Mr. Wesley is sufficiently justified by the Canons of the Church which forbid any person to be admitted Godfather or Godmother to any child before the said person has received the Holy Communion; whereas William Aglionby and Jacob Matthews had never certified Mr. Wesley that they j . had received it." Perceiving that he could obtain neither justice nor even a hearing from the town court in Savannah, persuaded that there was no possibil ity of instructing the Indians, being under no engagement to remain a day longer in Savannah thaa he found it convenient, and believing that his ministry would prove more acceptable in England than in Georgia, he consulted his friends as to the propriety of his returning home. They agreed that it was best for him to do so, but not at that time.

,-- \

WESLEY LEAVES GEORGIA.
On the 3d of November he again appeared in court, and also on the 22d of that month. On the last occasion Mr. Causton exhibited to him sundry affidavits filed in his case, all of which Wesley pronounced false and malicious. No trial was, on either date, accorded to him. Upon conferring a second time with his friends they were of the opinion that he might now set out immediately for England. The next evening he call ed upon Mr. Causton and acquainted him with his purpose to leave the colony at an early day. He also put up in the public square the follow ing notice: "Whereas John Wesley designs shortly to set out for Eng land, this is to desire those who have borrowed any books of him to re turn them, as soon as they conveniently can, to John Wesley." There was nothing concealed about this determination; and he quietly, and with the full knowledge of the community, prepared for his journey. On the 2d of December, the tide serving about noon, he pro posed to bid jfareweil to Savannah and start for Charlestown, whence he was to sail [for England. "But about ten," says Mr. Wesley, "the Magistrates sent for me and told me I must not go out of the Prov ince, for I had not answer'd the Allegations laid against me. I replied I have appeared at six* or seven Courts successively in order to answer them* but I was not suffer'd to do so when I desired it time after time. They then said, however, I must not go unless I would give security to answer those allegations at their Court I asked, what security ? After consulting together about two hours the Recorder shew'd me a kind of bond, engaging me, under a penalty of fifty pounds, to appear at their Court when I should be required. He added, But Mr. Williamson too has desired of us that you should.give bail to answer his action. I then told him plainly, Sir, you use me very ill, and so you do the Trustees. I will giv* neither any bond nor any bail at all. You know your business • and I know mine. "In the afternoon the Magistrates publish'd an Order requiring all the Officers and Centinels to prevent my going out of the Province, and forbidding any person to assist me in doing so. Being now only a prisoner at large in a place where I knew by experience every day would give fresh opportunities to procure evidence of words I never said and actions I never did, I saw clearly the hour was come for leaving this place: and, as soon as Evening Prayers were over, about eight o'clock,

Ofr

the tide then serving, I shook off the dust of my feet and left Georgia after having preached the Gospel there (not as I ought, bat a* I wds atile) one year and nearly nine months." 1 Stephens 2 informs tis that Mr. Wesley was ac'conipanfed oh' this oc casion . by three obnoxious characters: Coates a busybody, a miscHief.maker, and heavily indebted both to the trust and to the citizens of Sa vannah ; Gough, an idle fellow, impudent in his behavior, leaving behind him many unpaid obligations, and a wife and child whom he more fre quently beat than fed; and Campbell, a barber, an insignificant, loose fellow, fit for any leader who would make a tool of him. Landing at Purrysburgh the next morning, Mr. Wesley and his com panions pursued their journey on foot'to Beaufort, whence he j)roce>dcd by boat to Charlestown. Taking passage on board the Samuel, Captain Percy, he departed from America on the 24th of December, 1737, never more to revisit the scene of his early labors, conflicts, trials arid disap pointments. - We make no apology for having dwelt at this length upon the inci dents connected with the life and ministrations in Georgia " of a man whose eloquence and logical acuteness [to borrow the language of Lord Macaulay] might have made him eminent in literature, whose genius for government was not inferior to that of Richelieu, arid who, whatever his errors may have been, devoted all his powers, in defiance of obloquy and derision, to what he sincerely considered as the highest good of his species." Whatever shadows and doubts gathered about him in the mdriiing of his ministerial career were all'quickly dispelled by the glorious beams of the Sun of Righteousness. Then, in the plenitude of intellectual1 and moral power, he proclaimed the glad tidings of salvation to the nations* gathering about him tens of thousands, founding a sect of strong vrrttte and stern religious sentiment, and closing one of the most remarkable Kves in English history with the triumphant cry, " The best of afl is, God is with us. He giveth his servants rest We thank Thee, 6 Lord! for these and all Thy mercies. Bless the Church and King, and grant us truth and peace through Jesus Christ our1 Lord forever and ever. The
1 Extract of the Rfv. J/r. John Wesley s Journal, etc., 55, 56. Bristol, n. d. * Joumalof Procet'dings, etc.. voL i, pp. 45-47. London. MDCCXLIL

clouds .drop fatness. uge. Farewell."

The Lord is with us, the Gotf of Jacob is our ref

CHAPTER VII.
Causton's Defalcation—Depressed Financial Condition of the Province—Industries of the Colonists at Savannah—Composition of Disagreements with the South Carolina Indian Traders, and with the Creeks—Petition from the Bailiffs and Inhabitants of Sa vannah-for an Enlargement of Land Tenures, and for the Introduction of Negro Slaves —Opposition on the Part of General Oglethorpe—Malcontents at Savannah.

AVING fortified the southern boundary of the province, and pro vided for its defense against the anticipated assaults of the Spainards ashlar as the means at command would allow, Mr. Oglethorpe resolved, to make asecon/i visit to England in the interest of the plantation. : The finances of the trust were again in a depressed condition, and, he had found it necessary to draw largely upon his private fortune and to pledge his in- ( dividual cre$t in provisioning the settlers and conducting such operations as .were necessary for the security of the province. The defalcation pf Thomas, Causton, the first magistrate of Savannah and the keeper of the public stpres, added much to his embarrassment Alarmed at the unex pected increase jn the number of certified accounts, and perplexed at the manifest; irregularities in the execution of the important trust committed to hjs keeping,, the common ooonciI, on the 7th pf June, 1738, " sealed, the -removal" of Mr- Thomas Causton from his office of first bailiff in Savan nah, and.appointed Mr.:Henry Parker in his room. In forwarding these documents to Oglethorpe they desired him to use, or to refrain from using tft^m incompliance with the suggestions contained in their letter pf the 2d inst T/hey.further insisted that Causton should be arrested in any eyent, and that Jnsr^ooks and papers should be secured. To those books and gapers access was, to ,be accorded him so that he might enjoy ample opppitunUy-for .making up bis. atcounts^^from Lady Day, 1734, to daie. AU tlje trustees' effects wpfc to be promptly withdrawn froni hils possession; and.^«ir|ng^efperiod con>^mejd in_ making out his accounts arid neces-

H

100

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

sary for their careful examination when submitted, he was to be retained in safe custody or placed " upbn sufficient security." Mr. Thomas Jones was designated as the proper party to make an examination and submit a full report. Copies of all accounts and of Mr. Jones's report upon them, accompanied by Mr. Oglethorpe's opinion, were to be forwarded to the trustees at the earliest practicable moment. Until further instructions Causton was not to be sent to England, but was to be detained in safe custody or under bond. Fortified with these documents, and acting under these orders, Oglethorpe proceeded at once to their proper execution. Ignorant of what was in store for him, Causton, with a bold front, appeared at the head of the magistrates to welcome the general on his arrival from Frederica. He was accompanied by others, participants in his peculations, who, having reason to dread an investigation into their conduct during the general's absence, joined in public salutations, hoping thereby to conciliate his fa vor. He was soon informed that the grand jury in Savannah had pre pared a presentation of the " grievances, hardships, and necessities " of the inhabitants, in which they complained bitterly of the misconduct of Mr. Causton, alleging that he had expended much larger sums than were authorized by the trustees, that he had brought the colony into debt, that he had exceeded his powers, that he was arbitrary and oppressive in the discharge of his official duties, and that he was partial in the distribution of the public stores. It was suggested by not a few that as the commer cial agent of the trustees and the keeper of the public stores he had util ized his position for his own advancement and the benefit of special friends. It was believed that the funds of the trustees had been by him appropriated to the improvement of his plantation at Ockstead, where he and his family resided in comfort and plenty beyond the reach of his neighbors. That he was arrogant in his behavior, that he had rendered the other magistrates subservient io his will, that he had played the part of a petty tyrant in the community, and that he ruled the people through their necessities, taking advantage of their daily wants and making these the means of keeping them in subjection to his pleasure, could notjbe doubted. It was evident also that he had perverted the due administra tion of the law, and had sedulously suppressed from the knowledge of the trustees many just complaints preferred by the colonists at Savannah.

CAUSTON DISMISSED FROM OFFICE.

101

After a patient examination into the condition of affairs, which estab lished on the part of Causton a woeful mismanagement of the trust funds sent for the support of the province, General Oglethorpe on the I /th of October " called all the Inhabitants together at the Town-House, and there made a pathetic Speech to them, setting forth how deeply the Trust was become indebted by Mr. Causton's having run into so great Exceedings beyond what they had ordered, which Debts the Trust had noth ing left at present to discharge besides what Goods and Effects they .had in the Store, which must in a great Measure be applied to those Purposes, especially first to all such as the Stores were owing anything to, by which Means there would be a Necessity of retrenching the ordinary Issues that something might remain for the necessary Support of Life among the in dustrious People who were not to be blamed. This had such an Effect that many People appeared thunder-struck, knowing not where it would end; neither could the most knowing determine it." 1 The next day Causton was dismissed from office and required to de liver into the hands of Mr. Thomas Jones all books, papers, and accounts connected with the public stores. General Oglethorpe also demanded of him bond, with ample security, to appear and answer any charges which might be preferred against him. It being impossible to procure in Savannah bondsmen of means sufficient to respond to the sums'in which Causton would probably be found indebted to the trust, General Ogle thorpe was content with Causton's individual bond, coupled with an " assignment of all his improvements at Ockstead or elsewhere." After weeks and months consume d in the examination, Mr. Jones in formed Mr. Stephens " that after so much Time spent about making up Mr. Causton's Accounts, there was so little Progress made in it that he could hardly say it was begun; so many Intricacies appeare/i more and more every Day, such Inconsistencies, many Things wrongly charged, abundance omittted which ought to have been brought to Account, and several Day-books said to be lost (which he could not believe but were concealed), that the Rate they went on he defied any Man living to ad just it; and for his Part he was quite tired looking into such Confusion which he was confident was by Art and Cunning made inextricable; in somuch that he was positive the Balances, formerly made, were framed at
'Stephens's Journal of Proceedings, etc, vol i, p. 305. London. MDCCXLH.

^HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.
Will and sent to the Trustees so ; for unless he (Mr. Caustpn) kept copies of them distinctly, it was impossible for him to make out the same from the Books now before him." On tha other hand Mr. Causton complained of the treatment be re ceived at Mr. Jones's hands, and protested against being called a villain and a knave. He declared be had served the trust well, and was pre pared to defend his character from all aspersions.1 It being impracticable to adjust these accounts in Savannah, Causton was ordered to London, where he appeared before the common council. Failing there to produce proper vouchees, he was permitted to depart for Georgia, where he stated he would be able. to arrange everything to the satisfaction of the trustees. Sailing for Savannah he died at sea,2 and, in the bosom of the ocean, found rest from all his. troubles. The vacancy caused by the deposition of Causton was filled by the appointment of Colonel William Stephens, who was then in Savannah occupying the position of secretary of the trustees in the province of Georgia. , . . , The mismanagement in the disbursement of the funds and supplies which had been sent over- for the support of the colony and the depleted condition of the trustees' treasury rendered a retrenchment of the ordin ary issues most imperative. . In a letter written by General Oglethorpe on the igih of October, 1738, and addressed to the trustees, after alluding to the careless manner in which Causton had " trifled away the public money " and squandered the resources of the colony, he discloses the alarming fact that the scoutboatmen, rangers, and others upon whose active service and watchfulness the province relie*Kfor protection, were unpaid and actually starving. "When I told them, 'Nays the general, "the Trustees* circijmstances, their affection was so great that they offered to serve on until. the Trus tees' affairs mended ; I thanked them but reduced the Rangers since I could not feed them with hopes of what I could not make good. The Scout Boats I have for this month paid out of my own money, since, they are absolutely necessary, and ! will not charge the Trustees ,with new debts. " Thtre is a worse circumstance than any above, viz.: the Industrious
i Stephens'? Jour naltf Proceedings, vol. I, pp. 362, 406. London. 'Stcvens's History of Georgia, voi i p. 222. New York. MDCCCXLII.

Poor People', who have saved sometfiirig By frugality, haV«f lodged their, little all in the Store, hoping to' have" provisions from thence in their Necessity; and rtovfr if the Store cannot pay they must perish for Want; the"like rfiiseVy must Befall all the Trustees* servants as well as many of the inhabitants whom sicltriess and mfsforttlnes have* prevented from hav ing a c^op*' this yea'r. ... " I can see nothing but destruction to the Colony unless sonic assist ance^ be imniediately sent us: I siipport things for a while by some mdney I1 have in my hands, and the rdst I stipply with my own money, fb> I will not incur Debts nor draw Bills upon you. ... " If this (I know not what name to give it) had riot happened, the Colony had overcome all its difficulties and had been in a flourishing donditionl" He advises the trustees that the Italians are pleased with their new hortie; and that Cam use and the members Of his family had wound some silk as fine as that made in Georgia during the past year. The mulberry tfcees in the public garden were again growing luxuriantly, and promised a* foliage which would soon subsist *' a great quantity of worms." Clay had been found from which a potter was manufacturing excellent ware. Several yokes of oxen and several carts with horses were employed by the* inhabitants of Savannah. The trustees' saw-mill was turning out seven hundred feet of boards per diem; and. if managed properly, would " bring an income." The idle people had run away and " a spirit of in dustry seemed to be stirring." He hopes with his own money to "make slilft to support the most valuable part of the people." (^ " I have already expended a great deal," writes this noble and gen erous man, " and, as far as the income1 of my estate and employments for thfs^ year will go, I shaft sooner lay it out in supporting the Colony (till I can hear from you) than in ariy Other diversion." After payment of outstanding debts, he estimates £5,000 as the low est sum.' practicable for carrying on the civil concerns of the colony, " if any success fe to be1 expected in the* production of wine and silk, and a . ' form of government is tor be maintained." Existing orders for the erection of churches and the cultivation 6f itfftds for religious uses, both in Savannah and Frederica, could not be obeyed unless the requisite funds vwerfc Supplied:

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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

Recurring to the Causton defalcation, he concludes as follows: " I examined him to know what could be the meaning that he dare to ex ceed so excessively your Orders, thereby plunging the Colony into its present difficulties. He answered that he made no expenses but what necessity forced him to, and that he could prove that necessity. He en tered into several particulars; That the Multitude forced him to build a Fort for fear of the Spainards; That the charge of Saltzburghers and other charges were not provided for in the Establishment sent over by the Trustees; That he received the Establishment too late to comply with it He did uot pretend to justify himself in not sending over the Ballance of his accompts. His negligence to bring his Acco** to a Ballance half yearly, or every year at least, has been the occasion of the melancholy situation he has put us in. Some things he alleged that had weight .That the prices of Provisions were treble to what they were at my first arrival here, from whence we calculated the Estimate. That the Spanish Alarms obliged him to comply with the humour of the people here, for which reason he was forced to give any prices to Sloops to bring down provisions to the Colony. He said farther that he had not been guilty of any fraud, nor converted any of the Trustees' money to his own use. . He at first seemed pretty stubborn, but upon a second examina tion he was more submissive. When I was about to comit him he plead ed that it was not usual here to comit Freeholders for any but Capital Crimes. That Watson, who was accused of killing a man and had been found guilty by a jury, was bail'd upon his own Recognizance. That he submitted to the Trustees, and that all he had-acquired in his six years' service, and that all he; had in the world, was laid out in improvements on his Lot in the Colony, and that he would give all as security to abide and justify his acco*". He has accordingly given security. He has de livered the Stores, Books, &c., unto Mr. Jones according to your ap pointment I have not been able to enter into the rest of the affairs of the Colony. The Saltzburghers thrive and so do the people at Hamp• stead and High gate. There are abundancejof Good Houses built in this Town. I desire to know in what manner you would have me proceed in Causton's affair." 1
» Collections of the Georgia Historical Society, voL iii, pp. 57-62. Savannah Compare GeitfUman's Magaxtru for 1739, pp. 22, 23. 1873.

r •>

SMUGGLING RUM INTO GEORGIA.

105

This defalcation of Causton, and his prodigal waste of the moneys and stores of the trust committed to his keeping, brought the plantation to the verge of ruin. Appalled at the situation, not a few of the colonists seriously contemplated abandoning the province and seeking subsistence in Carolina. Sensible*of the hardships they would be called upon to en dure before ample relief could be afforded, the general did not undertake to dissuade any, who were so minded, from attempting to better their fortunes elsewhere. Upon reflection, however, they concluded to re main ; trusting to favoring seasons and the good disposition of the trus tees to repair at the earliest moment the losses which had been so unex , pectedly and causelessly entailed. But for the immediate and generous aid extended by Oglethorpe, but for the magnetism of his presence and example, but for his just adminis tration of affairs, his encouraging words, and his charitable deeds, the ef fect produced upon the colonists in Savannah by this crisis in their affairs would have proved most disastrous. This is not the only occasion upon which, as the sequel will show, the founder of Georgia proved himself also her savior. <* With a certain matter threatening an interruption of the friendly re lations existing between Georgia and South Carolina Mr. Oglethorpe was much annoyed. Augusta being conveniently located for commerce with the Indian nations, some Carolina traders were induced to open stores at that place. Land carriage proving tedious and expensive they resolved to transport their goods by water from Charlestown. As the boats were passing Savannah, the magistrates, mindful of the law prohibiting the introduction of distilled liquors into the province, and regarding the Sa vannah flowing between Hutchinson's Island and Yamacraw Bluff as a part of Georgia, ordered them to be stopped and searched. A consider able quantity of rum was found on board. The casks containing jit were staved, and the persons in charge of the boats were arrested and confined. At this proceeding the Carolinaris were greatly incensed, and demanded of the Georgia magistrates " by what authority they presumed to seize and destroy the effects of their traders, or to compel them to.submit to their code of laws." Apprehending that they had acted precipitately, and that they had perhaps transcended their powers, the authorities at Savannah made immediate concessions to the deputies from Carolina.
14 -

I

i

"

•'_____•____;___________
The confined were set at liberty, and the goods destroyed were returned as far as practicable in kind ; the Carolinians engaging on their part 10 smuggle no more .strong liquors within the limits of Georgia. 1 The matter, however, did not end here, but was eventually brought to the'notice of the Board of Trade. -After examining into the facts and hearing argument, the commissioners concluded that while the naviga tion of Savannah was open alike' to the inhabitants of both colonies, and while it was incumbent upon the Georgians to render the Carolinians all friendly assistance in their power, it was not lawful for Carolina traders to introduce ardent spirits among the settlers in Georgia. Another difficulty arose in the following manner: A Salzburger had indiscreetly cleared and planted four acres of land beyond the boundary of Ebenezer, thus encroaching upon the reserved territory of the Uchees. Other Salzburgers permitted their cattle to stray away arid eat .up'the growing corn of those Indians at a point some twenty miles above that village. But what vexed the Uchees most, as we are informed by Oglethope, was that some people from Carolina swam a great herd of cattle over the Savannah, and, bringing negroes with them, formed a planta tion near the Uchee town Taking advantage of the irritation of the Indians, Captain Green advised them to fall upon the Salzburgers, and to declare war against the English. So soon as he was informed of these occurrences, Mr. Oglethope compelled the Carolinians to recross the Sa vannah witi.'ihe'ri' -aegises and cattle, and ordered the Salzburgers to con fine themselves and their cattle within the limits which had been pre scribed for their occupancy. Instead df taking Green's advice, the Uchees sent their king and twenty warriors to Mr. Oglethorpe to thank him for having redressed thehr wrongs even before they had requested him to do so. Such con duct cm his part, they added, made them love him ; and that so far fiom entering upon a war against the English they were now ready to " help them against the Spaniards." They also offered Oglethorpe the services of one hundred warriors for a year if he should require their aid.2 It was during this second visit to England that Mr. Oglethorpe was
* Historical Account of the Rise and Progress of the Colonies of South Carolina and Gtorgia, vol. iu p. 48. London. MDCCLXXIX. "See fetter of Ogtethorpe to the trustees. Colonial Documents, vol. i., p. 31.

ro6

UISTURY OF SAVANHAH.

^

PETITION TO TRUSTEES.

,

.107

• advanced to the grade of colonel. He was soon afterwards complimented with the position of "General and Commander-in- Chief of all and singular the forces employed and to be employed in the provinces of South Caro lina and Georgia in America." He returned to the plantation bringing with him a large accession both of colonists and of supplies. Busied with the military affairs of the southern part of the province, and personally supervising the conduct of his regiment, General Oglethorpe found it necessary to spend most of his time on St. Simon's Island and in that vicinity. The government of Savannah was consequently largely entrusted to the bailiffs. The impoverished condition of the province, the scarcity of supplies, Causton's defalcation, the spasmodic and unsatisfactory nature of the ag ricultural operations near Savannah, the enervating character of the clU mate, the disappointments which had been experienced in the effort to compass a comfortable support and accumulate wealth, the departure of not a few colonists, who, crossing the river, sought better fortunes in South Carolina where lands were granted in fee and the ownership of slaves was permitted by law, and the ruinous outlook, coupled with much dissatisfaction and lack of industry on the part of some of the settlers, induced the magistrates to unite with the freeholders dwelling in Savan nah and its vicinity in a petition to the trustees in which, after express ing their disappointment that the hopes held out to them in England of pleasant and profitable homes in Georgia had not been realized; after asserting that their best exertions in tilling the soil had failed to procure. sufficient provisions and the means requisite for purchasing clothing and medicines; after declaring that, in the absence of cheap slave labor, they were unable to compete successfully with their neighbors in Carolina; after expressing the conviction that the cultivation of silk and wine could never be made remunerative so long as white servants only were employed ; after assuring the trustees that commerce languished because, not beiag possessed of the fee in their lands and improvements, they were incapa ble of offering them as security to merchants ih procurement of goods as was frequently done in other English provinces; after alluding to the numbers who had left the plantation because of the precarious land titles existent therein, and the small accessions which had of late been made to the population of the province; and after referring to other cajuses

io8

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

which retarded the progress of the settlement, they invoked serious and immediate consideration by the trustees of the " two following chief causes of their misfortunes:" " First. The Want of a free Title or Fee Simple to our Lands, which, if granted, would both occasion great Numbers of new Settlers to come amongst us, and likewise encourage those who remain here chearfully to proceed in making further Improvements, as well to retrieve their sunk Fortunes, as to make Provision for their Posterity. " Second. The Want of the Use of Negroes with proper Limitations, which, if granted, would, both induce great Numbers of White People to come here, and also render us capable to subsist ourselves by raising provisions on our Lands until we could make some Produce fit for'Ex port, and in some measure to balance our Importation. We are very sensible of the Inconveniences and Mischiefs that have'already, and do daily arise from an unlimited Use of Negroes; but we are as sensible that these may be prevented by a due Limitation, such as so many to each White Man, and so many to such a Quantity of Land ; or in any other manner which your Honours shall think most proper. By grant ing us, Gentlemen, these two Particulars, and such other Privileges as his Majesty's most dutiful Subjects in America enjoy, you will not only pre vent our impending Ruin, but, we are fully satisfied, also will soon make this the most flourishing Colony possessed by his Majesty in America, and your Memories will be perpetuated to all future Ages, our latest Pos terity sounding your Praises as their first Founders, Patrons and Guar dians ; but if, by denying us those Privileges, we ourselves and Families are not only ruined, but even our Posterity likewise, you will always be mentioned as the cause and Authors of all their Misfortunes and Calam ities; which we hope will never happen." 1 TThis petition was dated at Savannah on the 9th of December, 1738, and was signed by one hundred and twenty-one of the male inhabitants. When advised of the submission of this memorial, the Scots at New Inverness and the Salzburgers of Ebcnezer united in decided protests which were promptly forwarded to his excellency General Oglethorpe. The colonists were divided in sentiment upon the question of the expe
1 Account shewing the progress of the colony of Georgia in America, etc, pp. 59, 63. London.
»

'GENERAL OGLETHORPE'S REPLY:

109

diency of introducing negro slaves into the province. General Oglethorpe's views on the subject are embodied in a letter to the trustees written from Savannah on the I2th of March, 1739. In it he states that Mr. Williams, to whom many of them were deeply indebted, had induced the poor people of Savannah " to sign the petition for the Negroes which affirms that white men'cannot work in this Province." This assertion he declares he can disprove by hundreds of witnesses, by all Salzburgers, by the people of Darien, by many at Frederica and Savannah, and by all in the province who were industriously inclined. "The idleon«s," he adds, " are indeed for Negroes. If the Petition is countenanced the Province is ruined. Mr. Williams and Dr. Tailfeur will buy most of the lands at Savannah with Debts due to them, and the Inhabitants must go off and be succeeded by Negroes. • Yet the very Debtors have been weak enough to sign their Desire of Leave to selJJX1 In another communication 2 to the ctrustee^ written at Frederica on the 4th of July in the same year, he protests against any material change in the existing land tenures, advising the trustees that the " Titles are at present upon a very gpod Footing, and that those who made most noise about their Lands were such as had taken no care to make any use of them." Twelve days afterwards, in reporting the status of affairs to the trus tees, he again refers to this subject in the following manner: " There is one Tailfeur, an Apothecary Surgeon who gives Physick, and one Will iams, of whom I wrote to you formerly, a Merchant, who quitted plant ing to sell rum. To these two almost all of the Town [Savannah] is in debt for Physick and Rum, and they have raised a strong spirit to desire that Lands may be alienable, and then they would take the Lands for the Debts, monopolize the Country, and settle it with Negroes. They have a vast deal of Art. and if they think they cannot carry this, they would apply for any other alteration since they hope thereby to bring confusion, and you cannot imagine how much uneasiness I have had here. ;' I hope, therefore, you will make no alterations." 3 Robert Williams, to whom allusion is made, was open and violent in
1 Collections of the Georgia Historical Society, vol. iii. p. 70. Savannah. 1873. *Idemt pp. 72-79. * Collections of the Georgia 'Historical Society, vol. iii., p. 79. Savannah. 1873.-

no

HISTORY or SAVANNAH.

his denunciation of the policy pursued by the trustees in regard to the tenure by which lands in the province « ere holden of there, and kept the public mind at Savannah in a constant ferment on this subject. 1 Possessing some means and a valuable commercial correspondence, he desired to utilize them in the accumulation! of wealth. Hence his anxi ety to have the fee simple to lands vested in the colonists so that they might either pledge or sell them. In either event he would be able to stcure his loans, and finally to become possessed of much of the landed estate. . N ^» Doctor Patrick Tatlier was scarcely less pronounced in his criticisms upon the conduct of the colony, and in his representations of existing grievances! He was a thorn in the side of General Oglethorpe, to whom, tunter the nom de plume of The Plain 'Dealer, he addressed a communica tion upon colonial affairs full of condemnation, complaint, and sarcasm. He was the chit-f of a club of malcontents whose conduct became so notorious that they wdte forced, in September, 1740, to quit the province and take refuge in South Carolina. When thus beyond the jurisdiction of the Georgia authorities, in association with Hugh Anderson, David Douglass, and others vbe published a scurrilous tract entitled " A Tru« and Historical Narrative of the Colony of Georgia in America," 2 which they dedicated to General Oglethorpe. In the epistle dedicatory, which may be accepted as a specimen of the entire production, the authors say: " Under the Influence of our Perpetual Dictator we have seen something like Aristocracy, Ogligttrcky, as well as the Triumvirate, Decemviratt, aad CoxAnJar Authority of famous Republicks which have expired many Ages before us. What Wonder then we share the same Fate? De their Towns and Villages exist but in Story and Rubbish ? We are all over Ruins. Our Ptiblick-works. Forts, Wells, Highways, Lighthouse, Store, Water Mills, &c., are dignified like theirs with the same venerable Deso lation. The Log-house indeed is like to be the last forsaken Spot of your Empire; yet even this, thro' the Death or Desertion of those who should continue to inhabit it, must suddenly decay; the bankrupt Jailor higiself
__ . f m

, Craving rum, negro slaves attd fee simple tittes to lands, s*ch disaf fected Colonists hesitated not to malign the authorities, disquiet the sfettlets, and belie the true condition of affairs. Georgia was certainly in an and a* impoverished situation. Her population was in* bat slowly. Labor was scarcely remunerative, and *he SpafWsh War--€toud was looming up along her southern borders; but the wvpressidn which Dr. Tailfer and others sought to convey of the statws of *be dftfony was exaggerated, spiteful, and without warrant. Having duly considered the petition of the magistrates and freehold ers of Savannah, and taken counsel of General Ogtethorpe and cfther iafttfential iivhabrtants of the province, the trustees returned the foHowfeng - ; a'nswer:

•*' To the Magistrates of the Town of Savanna^ in the Province qf^ • •' v Georgia. 1 " The Trustees for establishing the Colony of Georgia in America kav% received by the Hands of Mr. Benjamin Ball of London, Merchant, an at tested Copy of a Representation signed by you the Magistrates, and ma*y of the Inhabitants of Savannah oh the gth of December last, for altering the Tenure of the Lands, and introducing Negroes into the Province, " transmitted from thence by Mr. Robert Williams. "The Trustees are not sti-rprized to find unwary People drawn in by crafty Men to join in a Design of extorting by Clamour -from the Trtis*tees an Alteration in the fundamental Laws framed for the Preservation . of tfce Peeple from those very Designs. '" But the Trustees cannot but express their Astonishment that you. the Magistrates, appointed by them to be the Guarrdians of the People, by patting those Laws in Execution, should so far forget your Duty as to put yoarselves at the Head of this Attempt
" However, they direct you to give the Complainants this

r
112

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

from the Trustees : That they should deem themselves very unfit for the Trust reposed in them by his Majesty on their Behalf, if they could be prevailed upon by such an irrational attempt to give up a Constitution, framed with the greatest caution, for the Preservation of Liberty and Property, and of which the Laws against the Use of Slaves, and for the Entail of Lands are the surest Foundations; ' And the Trustees are the more confirmed in their Opinion of the Unreasonableness of this Demand that they have received Petitions from the Darien and other Parts of the Province, representing the Inconven ience and Danger which must arise to the good People of the Province from the Introduction of Negroes: and as the Trustees themselves are fully convinced that besides the Hazard attending of that Introduction, it would destroy all Industry among the White Inhabitants; and that, by giving them a Power to alien their Lands, the Colony would soon be too like its neighbours, void of White Inhabitants, filled with Blacks, and re duced to be the precarious Property of a Few, equally exposed to domestick Treachery and foreign Invasion : And therefore the Trustees cannot be supposed to be in any Disposition of granting this Request; and if they have not, before this, signified their Dislike of it, their Delay is to be imputed to no other Motives but the Hopes they had conceived that Time and Experience would bring the Complainants to a better. Mind. And the Trustees readily join Issue with them in their Appeal to Poster ity, who shall judge 'between them, who were their best Friends, those who endeavoured to preserve for them a Property in their Lands by tying up the Hands of their unthrifty Progenitors: or they who wanted a Power to mortgage or alien them; who were the best Friends to the Colony, those who with great Labour and Cost had endeavored to form a Colony of his Majesty's Subjects, and persecuted Protestants from other Parts of Europe ; had placed them oh a fruitful soil, and strove to secure them in their Possessions by those Arts which naturally tend to keep the Colony full of useful and industrious People capable both to cultivate and defend it, or those who, to gratify the greedy and ambitious views of a few Ne gro Merchants, would put it into their Power to become sole owners of the Province by introducing their baneful Commodity which, it is well known, by sad Experience, has brought our Neighbour Colonies to the Brink of Ruin by driving out their White Inhabitants, who were their

MAGISTRATES DISMISSED FROM OFFICE.
Glory and Strength, to make room for Blacks who are now become the "] Terror of their unadvised Masters. " Signed by order of the Trustees this Twentieth day of June, 1739. \ BENJ. MARTYN, Secretary. [L. S.]" 1 On the 2oth of October General Oglethorpe informed the trustees that their reply had been received and published, and that the effect produced by it upon the colonists was good. . Accompanying this response came' orders dismissing from office the magistrates in Savannah who had signed the petition, and appointing others in their stead. Perceiving that their agitation of the question of the introduction of negro slavery into the province had only confirmed the trustees in their opinions and orders, the leading malcontents, headed by Dr. Tailfer, who by their clubs, horse"racing, idleness, and lawless conduct had done much to debauch the com munity at Savannah, deserted the colony. This was the second time that the trustees had been importuned to sanction the employment of slave labor within the limits of Georgia. Twice did they positively refuse the desired permission. Although such was their determination, and although the effect of their resolution was pronounced salutary by General Ogiethorpe, it may well be questioned whether the adoption of a different policy, permitting the introduction of negro slaves under wholesome restrictions, would not have materially advanced the prosperity of the plantation. Such labor was demanded by / the nature of the soil and climate. The prohibition upon Georgia placed her at a disadvantage when her situation in this regard was contrasted with that of her sister colonies. Indented white servants had been tried, and the experiment was unsatisfactory. The clearing and cultivation of malarial lands originated fevers and various disorders far more preju dicial to the European than the African constitution. The potent rays of the summer's sun enfeebled the white servant, while they shone harm* \ Icssly above the head of the negro laborer. During the heated term it was the general experience that many of the whites were incapable of performing half their allotted tasks. The expenses incident to the em- i ployment of white servants were considerably greater than those conlAn Account skewing the Progress of the Colony of Georgia, etc., pp. 70, 71, Lon don. MDCCXLI.
15

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114

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

V

nected with the maintenance of negro operatives. The exclusion of slave labor and the refusal to grant estates in fee did turn aside many planters from the attractive swamp lands of Southern Georgia, and retard the de velopment of the colony. Although in their reply of the 2Oth of June, 1739, the trustees re fused to enlarge the tenures of land, in a few months they concluded to modify their views upon this important subject. Accordingly, in Au gust of that year they passed a set of ponderous resolutions which they caused to be published in the London Gazette on the 8th of September, and ordered tojbe inserted also in the columns of the Charlestown, South Carolina, Gazette. Without reproducing them, we give their purport as condensed by Benjamin Martyn, secretary of the trustees. 1 With a view to enlarging the tenure on failure of issue male, and in order to provide 'for the widows of grantees, it was ordained that lands already granted, and such as might thereafter be granted, should, on failure of issue male, descend to the daughters of the grantees. In case there should be no issue male or female, then the grantees might devsse such lands. In the absence of any devise, the lands were to descend to the heirs at law of the original grantees. The possession of the devisee could not exceed five hundred acres. Widows of grantees were declared entitled "for and during the term of their natural lives," to hold and enjoy the dwellinghouse, garden, and one moiety of the lands of which their respective hus bands died seized. All persons desiring to avail themselves of the benefit of this enlarge ment were notified to present" their claims in order that proper grants might be forthwith, and without charge, prepared and executed. While this modification inured to the benefit of the grantee and con firmed the ownership of the land in his heirs, it permitted only a qualified alienation by way of devise. It did not fully comply with the request preferred in the petition which we have just considered. These resolutions were published by paragraphs in the Charlestown Gazette\ but, as they were not well understood, Colonel William Stephens was requested on a certain day to read them at the court-house in Sa1 Account of the Progress of the Colony of Georgia in America, etc., p. 30. Lon don. MDCCXLI. Compare McCall's History of Georgia, voi. i. ( p. 132, et seq. Savan nah. 1811.

GENERAL OGLETHORPE AT SAVANNAH.
vannah and to explain them. " After he had finished his task," sayfc Captain McCall,1 " and exerted his utmost abilities ia giving an explan|> ation, one of the settlers ludicrously remarked that the* whole paper con sisted of males and tails; that all the lawyers in London would not be able to bring the meaning down to his comprehension; and that he^derr stood as little of its meaning then as he had when Stephens began. 'Oth ers wished to know how often those two words had occurred in the resol lutions, that the number ought to be preserved as a curiosity, and that r ' the author ought to be lodged in bedlam for lunacy."

CHAPTER. VIII.
t* ' / General Oglethorpe Addresses the Citizens of Savannah—Military Strength of the Town in 1739—Death and Burial of Tomo-chi-chi—A Monument Should be Erected to his Memory—General Oglethorpe Returns to England—Colonel William Stephens DCS* ignated as President of the Colony—Disappointment Experienced in all Efforts to Pror : mote Silk Culture and the Growth of the Vine.

PON the conclusion of his labors at Coweta-Town, which resulted irt a renewal on the part of the Creeks of their fealty to the English Crown and the confirmation of existing grants of territory, General Ogthorpe returned to Frederica by the way of Augusta and Savannah/ While in the latter place he received dispatches announcing a declaration^ of war between England and Spain. On the 3d of October he assembled all the freeholders under arms. At noon there was a general convoca-r tion at the court-house. The magistrates in their gowns took their seat4 upon the bench, and Oglethorpe sat with them. 'He then addressed die multitude, acquainting the citizens of Savannah with the fact that in the present emergency they need entertain no fears of the Indian nations as they had all been brought into closer alliance by the recent convention at Coweta-Town. Although the province lay open to the sea, he assured them that English frigates would cruise along the coast for its protection,
History of Georgia. voL L, p. 140. Savannah. 1811. .

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116

HISTORY OF. SAVANNAH.

and that additional land • forces might soon be expected. The instruc tions he had received from his majesty's secretary of State in reference to the opening war with Spain were then communicated, and the inhab itants were exhorted to an exhibition of becoming activity, watchfulness, and bravery. Upon the conclusion of his address the cannons of the fort were discharged, and the freeholders " fired three handsome vollies. with their small arms as it were in defiance/without the appearance of any dread of the Spainards." 1 '• Observing that the common, from which the trees had been cut, was now overgrown with bushes, and that the squares and some of the streets were filled with weeds, the general ordered the entire male population out on police duty, and caused these spaces to be properly cleared and cleaned. A plenty of bread and beer put them all in good heart. By actual count ft was then ascertained that there were in Savannah about two hundred men capable of bearing arms. Two days afterwards the colony was called upon to mourn the demise of its true friend, the ven erable Tomo-chi-chi. His final illness was protracted, and he passed away in the full enjoyment of his mental faculties. The following letter conveys an interesting account of the last moments and sepulture of this noted Indian king: .
"SAVANNAH IN GEORGIA, Oct: IO, 1739.

" King Toma-chi-chi died on the 5th, at his own town, 4 miles from hence, of A lingering Illness, being aged about 97. He was sensible to the last Minutes, and when he was pursuaded his death was near he showed the greatest Magnanimity and Sedateness, and exhorted his Peo ple never to forget the favours he had received from the King when in England, but to persevere in their Friendship with the English. He ex pressed the greatest Tenderness for Gen. Qglethorpe, and seemed to have no Concern at dying but its being at a Time when hie Life might be use ful against the Spainards. He desired his Body might be buried amongst the English in the Town of Savannah, since it was he that had prevailed with the Creek Indians to give the Land, and had assisted in the found ing of the Town. The Corpse was brought down by Water. The Gen eral, attended by the Magistrates and People Of the Town, met it upon the Water's Edge. The Corpse was carried into Percival Square. The
J Stephens's Journal of Proceedings, vol. ii., p. 1510. London. MDCCXLI1.

DEATH OF TOMO-CHI-CHI.

117

pall was supported by the General, Coln Stephens, Col" Montaigut, Mr Carteret, Mr Lemon, and Mr Maxwell It was followed by the Indians and Magistrates and People of the Town. There was the Respect paid of firing Minute Guns from the Battery all the time during the Burial, and Funeral—firing with small Arms by the Militia, who were under arms. The General has ordered a Pyramid of Stone, which is dug in this Neighbourhood, to be erected over the Grave, which being in the Centre of the Town, will be a great Ornament to it, as well as testimony of Gratitude. "Tomo-chi-chi was a Creek Indian, and in his youth a great Warriour. He had an excellent Judgment and a very ready Wit, which showed itself in his Answers on all Occasions. He was very generous, giving away all the rich presents he received, remaining himself in a wil ful Poverty, being more pleased in giving to others, than possessing him self; and he was- very mild and good natured." 1 Nearly one hundred and fifty years have elapsed since these funeral honors were paid, and the monument ordered by General Oglethorpe has never been erected. Over the spot 2 where this Indian chief was in terred rises a stately monumental structure commemorative of the life and services of the Hon. W. W. Gordon. Neither street nor public square perpetuates the name of this mico, and his memory dwells only in occa sional recollection. This should not be. May we not hope for the sakeO of her reputation, in response to the wish of the founder of the colony of Georgia, and in glad acknowledgement of the debt of gratitude she owes to this noted Indian, that Savannah—herself a living witness of tne en terprise, courage, and taste of General Oglethorpe, a city which has ren dered such conspicuous tribute to the memories of Greene, and Pulaski, and Jasper, and the Confederate dead—will, at no distant da$r, cause to be lifted up in one of her high places a suitable monument in just and honorable appreciation of the friendship and worthy deeds of the veAerabte Tomo-chi-chi? ^ After his astonishing defeat of the Spaniards in their formidable at^ Gentleman's Magazine, vol. x., p. 129. Compare Stephens's Journal of Pro ceedings, vol. ii., pp. 152, 153. London. MDCCXLll. ? •For the precise place of Tomo-chi-chi's sepulture, see DeBrahm's History of i Province of Georgia, " Plan of the City of Savannah and Fortifications," facmg 36. Wormsloe. MDCCCXLix.

118

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

tempt to possess themselves of the southern defenses of the colony, and upon the consummation of the deliverance of Georgia from perils which threatened utter annihilation, a deliverance which, in the language of the Rev. George Whitefield, can be ° paralleled but by some instances out of the Old Testament"—General Qglethorpc—" the Romulus, father, and founder of Georgia" who, for full ten years, with no end in view save the enlargement of his majesty's dominion in America, the propagation of the Christian religion, the promotion of the trade of the realm, and the relief of the indigent and the deserving, had voluntarily banished himself from the pleasures of court and metropolis, postponed his parliamentary duties, strained his private fortune, and exposed himself to vexations, privations, and dangers incessant and exhausting, resolved to return to England in fulfillment of a desire earnestly entertained, but long repressed because of the necessitous condition of the province, and in response to a leave of absence sanctioned by the home authorities. Georgia was now established upon a sure basis. The natives were in amity with the English, and the Spaniards had learned a lesson they were not likely soon to forget His separation from the colony he then regarded as only tem porary, but it proved to be final. Upon the settlement and fortification of the southern frontier of the province a new county was carved out and named Frederica. Hitherto Georgia had contained but one county, and that was known as Savan nah. In April, 1741, Colonel William Stephens, who for several years been acting in the colony as secretary to the trustees, was by them ap pointed president of the county of Savannah. In the administration of public affairs he was aided by four assistants. As General Oglethorpe spent tno--.t of his time m Frederica, the designation of a presiding officer for that division of the province was regarded as superfluous. Bailiffs were constituted whose duty it was, under the immediate supervision of the general, to attend to the concerns of that county. At Augusta, Captain Richard Kent was, in November, 1/41, com missioned as " Conservator to keep the peace in that town and in the precints thereof." . , In anticipation of the return of General Oglethorpe to England, and in order to provide for the government of the entire colony, the trustees decided that the president and assistants who had been appointed for the

COLONEL WILLIAM STEPHENS MADE GOVERNOR.
county of Savannah should be proclaimed president and assistants for the whole province, and that the bailiffs at Frederica should be consid ered simply as local magistrates ; their powers being subordinate to those conferred upon the president and assistants. They further advised that the salary of the recorder of Frederica be raised, and that he correspond regularly with the president and assistants at Savannah, and transmit to them from time to time the proceedings of the town court, and an ac count of such transactions and occurrences in the southern part of the province as it might be necessary for them to know. 1 Thus, upon the departure of General Oglethorpe, he was succeeded in the office of colonial governor by the honest- minded and venerable Colonel William Stephens, whose devotion to the welfare of. the colony and fidelity to the instructions of the trustees had been for more than five years well approved.2 In association with his members of council or assistants, he was directed to hold in Savannah, each year, four terms of the general court for the regulation of public affairs and the accommo dation of all differences affecting person or property. Public moneys could be distributed only under warrant signed and sealed by the presi dent and a majority of his assistants in council assembled. Monthly alecounts were to be exhibited to the board of trustees, showing the amounts disbursed and the particular purposes to which they had been applied. Although General Oglethorpe's regiment was retained for the defense of the colony, the militia of the province was organized, and all citizejns i I capable of bearing arms were regularly trained and disciplined. Major William Horton remained in command of the troops in Georgia, with liis headquarters at Frederica. In the administration of the civil affairs of the province he did not intervene, except where his assistance was ihvoked to enforce the measures of the president and council. On all oc casions he. acted with prudence, calmness, and humanity, winning djie j esteem, confidence, and friendship of law-abiding citizens. Bailiffs or magistrates were commissioned in various and remote parts of the province whose duty it was to act as" conservators of the peace," hear and determine " petit causes,"*and commit, for trial by tHe general c6urt, offenders whose transgressions exceeded their limited jurisdiction.
1 Journal of the Trustees, 1736-1745, pp. 239,243, 244. * See Journal of the Proceedings in Georgia, vols. I, ii., iii. 'London MDCCXL3L

120

.HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

The colony was still at low ebb. The distractions caused by Spanish incursions, the refusal of the trustees to permit the importation and sale of rum* to sanction thfe introduction of slave labor, and to enlarge the tenure of land, and the failure of crops, disheartened many and induced them to avail themselves of the greater privileges offered in South Caro lina where similar restrictions were Unknown. Intent upon the cultiva tion of s^lk and wine, the home authorities discouraged the tillage of rice, cotton, and indigo, from which profit might more readily have been rea'izrd. The trouble lay chiefly with the English colonists; not a few of whom, unaccustomed to agricultural pursuits and manual occupations, were easily discouraged and could illy suppress their feelings of disap pointment. Except among the Salzburgers, fcilk culture, from which so much was expected by the trustees, proved a failure in Georgia. The Filature at Sa vannah was never operated to advantage, and all expenditures in bet.alf of this industry were futile. The efforts of the authorities to encourage the cultivation of the grape were even less successful than those ex pended in the production of silk. No practical results were reached ex cept such as entailed loss and disappointment. From the experiment of Abraham De Lybn, who procured vines from Portugal and planted them .upon his garden lot in Savannah, much good was anticipated. Although encouraged by the trustees the-business did not expand into proportions sufficient to claim public attention, and the colony both as a wine-pro ducing and a silk-growing community disappointed every expectation. As illustrating the early hopes entertained, and as presenting the only picture of a Savannah vineyard in colonial days which has been -handed down to us, we reproduce the following from Colonel William Stephens's Journal of Proceedings in Georgia: 1 " Tuesday, December 6th, 1737. After dinner walked out to see what Improvement of Vines were made by one Mr. Lyon a Portugese Jev>t which I had heard some talk of; and indeed nothing had given me so much Pleasure since my Arrival as what I found here; though it was yet (if I may say it properly), only a Miniature, for he had cultivated only for two or three Years past about half a Score of them which he received from Portugal for an Experiment; and by his Skill and Management in
' Vol i., p. 48. London. MDCCXLll.

EARLY GRAPE CULTURE.

121

pruning &c. they all bore this Year very plentifully a most beautiful, large Grape as big as a Man's Thumb, almost pellucid, and Bunches ex ceeding big; all which was attested by Persons of unquestionable Credit (whom I had it from) but the Season now would allow me only to see the Vines they were gathered from, which were so flourishing and strong ,that I saw one Shoot, of this last Year only, which he allowed to gr<5w from the Root of a bearing Vine, as big as my Walking-Cane, and nin over a few Poles laid to receive it, at least twelve or fourteen Foot, as as near as I could judge. From these he has raised more than a Hu!ndred, which he has planted alt in his little Garden behind his House'at about four Foot Distance each, in the Manner and Form of a Vineyard: They have taken Root and are about one Foot and a half high; the nejxt Year he says he does not doubt raising a Thousand more, and the Year following at least five Thousand. I could not believe (considering me high Situation of the Town upon a Pine Barren, and the little Appear ance of such Productions in these little Spots of Ground annexed to tlhe House) but that he had found some proper Manure wherewith to im prove the sandy Soil; but he assured me it was nothing but the natural Soil, without any other Art than his Planting and Pruning which he seemed to set some Value on from his Experience in being bred among the Vineyards in Portugal; and, to convince the World that he intends to pursue it from the Encouragement of the Soil proving so proper for it, he has at this Time hired four Men to clear and prepare as much Land as they possibly can upon his forty-five Acre Lot, intending to convert every Foot of the whole that is fit for it into a Vineyard: though he com plains of his present Inability to be at such an Expence as to employ Servants for Hire. From hence I could not but reflect on the small Pro gress that has been made hitherto in propagating vines in the publick Garden where, the Soil being the same, it must be owing to the Unskilfulness or Negligence of those who had undertaken that Charge."
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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

CHAPTER IX.
Mary and Thomas BosoBiworth—Hostile Demonstrations by the Creek Indians in Savannah in Support of Mary Bosomworth's Pretentions—Settlement of her Claim.

HE deeply laid scheme of the German Jesuit, Christian Priber, em ployed by the French to alienate the affection of the Cherokees, in terrupt their affiliation with the English, and compass the destruction of the Georgia settlements, had fortunately been wholly frustrated. His sudden death, while a captive at Frederica, relieved the public mind of the intense anxiety which had pervaded it, and put an end to machina tions of the most dangerous character. During the administration of President Stephens trouble arose with the Creek Indians, so formidable and violent in its nature, that the con tinuance of the settlement at Savannah was seriously imperiled. In his earliest intercourse with Tomo-chi-chi and his followers Mr. Oglethorpe secured the services of Mary Musgrove, the wife of an Indian grader, as an interpreter. Finding that she possessed considerable in fluence with the Creeks, and that her inclinations toward the English were friendly, he retained her in that capacity, allowing her, as compen sation for her services, one hundred pounds sterling per annum. She afterwards became Mary Matthews, and subsequently married the Rev. Thomas Bosomworth, at one time chaplain to General Oglethorpe's regiment The year after his marriage Bosomworth, who had previously accepted a grant of lands from the common council and taken up his resi dence in "the colony, returned to''England where he informed the trus tees that he did not purpose a return to Georgia. In 1746 he came again to Savannah and indicated his contempt for the established regula tions of the province by introducing six negro slaves on the plantation of his wife on the, seuth side of the forks of the Alatamaha River, known as MounX Venture. This affront the trustees promptly resented, and in structed President Stephens and his assistants to cause the immediate re moval of those slaves. The execution of this order provoked the wrath of Bosomworth. He resolved upon revenge. Having first conciliated

T

MALATCHE PROCLAIMED SUPREME CHIEF.

123

the Indians, with much cunning and caution he began to develop his plans, which embraced not only compensation from the general govern ment for the losses sustained and the services rendered by his -wife, but also absolute possession of Ossabaw, St. Catherine, and Sapelo islands, and of a tract of land near Savannah which the Indians had reserved for themselves in former treaties with the colonists. That something was still due to Mrs. Bosomworth for losses sustained and labors performed in the service of the colony could not be doubted; but, moved by her avaricious and unscrupulous husband, she magnified her claim beyond all reasonable measure. By his address Bosomworth enlisted the sympathy of several of the officers of Ogletherpe's regiment, resident at Frederica; and, on the loth of August, 1747, prepared and caused his wife to sign a memorial, addressed to Lieutenant-Colonel Heron commanding his majesty's forces in Georgia, in which, after claim ing royal descent, and narrating the services she had rendered and the losses she had sustained in the service of the colony, Mary Musgrove de manded payment from the authorities of the sum of .£5,714,17.11. Not content with prevailing, upon his wife to take the step just indi cated, the Rev. Thomas Bosomworth resorted to an additional expedient to" compass his ambitious, grasping, and sordid purposes. On the I4th of December, 1747, an Indian king, Malatche by name, of the Creek na tion, and sixteen companions, chiefs of various towns composing that confederacy, chanced to be on a visit to Frederica. Bosomworth, who was very friendly to Malatche, was also there. Exerting his influence with this mico he persuaded him to have himself then and there form-' ally acknowledged as the head of the Creek nation, with full power to cede lands, conclude treaties, and transact any other business connected with the kingly administration of the affairs of his people. This suggestion meeting with the approval of his companions, appro priate ceremonies were performed wherein Malatche was proclaimed and saluted as the supreme chief of the Muscogulgee confederacy. At the suggestion of Bosomworth the following document was prepared and signed: "FREDERICA IN GEORGIA, December \^tk, 1747. " Know all men by these presents that we Simpeopy, war-king of the Cowetas, Thlockpalahi, head warrior of tbe said town, Moxumgi, king of

124

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

the Etchitas, Iswige, head warrior of the Etchitas, and Actithilki, beloved man of the said town, Ciocoliche, king of Osuchees, Appalya and Ischaboagy, beloved men of Nipky, and Himriiopacohi, warriors of said town, Tokeah, war-king of the Chehaws, Whyanneachi and Etowah, warriors of the said town, Mahelabbi, beloved man of the Cusetas, and Scheyah, warrior of the said town, and Estchothalleachi Yahulla, Mico of the Tiskugas, having full power by the laws of the nation to conclude everything for the towns we represent, do hereby acknowledge Malatche Opiya Mico to be our rightful and natural prince. And we likewise further acknowl edge that by the laws of our nation we think ciwrselves obliged to stand by, ratify, arid confirm every act and deed of his as much as if we our selves were present, and we therefore make this public declaration to all subjects of the Crown of Great Britain that Malatche Opiya Mico has full power and authority, as our natural prince, to transact all affairs relating to our Nation as firmly and fully to all intents and purposes as we the whole nation might or could do if present In confirmation of which presents we have hereunto set our hands and affixed our seals in behalf of the different towns we represent, the day and date above written." 1 Of this document, signed and sealed by the declarants, and witnessed by Colonel Heron, Sir Patrick Houstoun, and four others, Malatche re quested that a copy should be sent over to the king of England, and that due record should be made of the original. Having thus far succeeded in his design, Bosomworth next prepared, and prevailed upon Malatche to execute a deed by which, as emperor of the Upper and Lower Creek nations, he conveyed to Thomas and Mary Bosomworth, of the colony of Georgia, the three islands on the coast, known as Hussoope or Ossabaw, Cowleggee or St Catharine, and Sapeio. The consideration mentioned was " ten pieces of stroud, twelve pieces of duffle's, two hundred weight of powder, two hundred weight of lead, twenty guns, twelve pairs of pistols, and one hundred weight of vermilion." It was an absolute con veyance, with fuU covenant of warranty, to Bosomworth and -his wife, their heirs, and assigns, so long as the syn should shine or the waters run in the river;. 'This transaction followed hard upon the other. In fact the first was simply a prelude to the second. In the existing treaties
1 S«€ McCall's History of Georgia, vol. i., p. 367. Savannah. 1811.

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125

with the Creek Indians these three beautiful and extensive islands had always been reserved by the natives as their special property for the pur poses of hunting, fishing, and bathing. The reverend gentleman having thus acquired title to this attractive and princely domain proceeded to utilize it by stocking these islands with cattle purchased in Carolina. To the planters in that province he became largely indebted. His stock raising not proving as. remunera tive as he anticipated, this ambitious clergyman, with a view to attaining greatness and acquiring a fortune rapidly, encouraged his wife to an nounce herself as a sister of Malatche/descended in a maternal line from an Indian king who held from nature the entire territories of the Creeks. He persuaded her also to assert her right to them as superior both to that of the trustees and of the king. Mary accordingly assumed the title of an independent empress, disavowing all allegiance or subjection to the British Crown, and summoned a general convocation of the Creeks, to whom, in a long speech prepared for the occasion, she explained the jus tice of her claim, the great injury which they, her beloved subjects, had sustained at the hands of the English by the loss of their territorities, and the necessity which was laid upon them to regain them by force of arms. Inflamed by her harangue, the assembled Indians admitted her claims, and pledged themselves to defend to the last extremity her royal person and lands. Putting herself at the head of a large body of warriors, she set out for Savannah to demand from the president and council a formal acknowledgment of her assumed rights. A messenger was dispatched to convey in advance to the president of the colony a notification'of her ap proaching visit, and to acquaint him with the fact that she had assumed the sovereignty over the entire territory of the Upper and Lower Creeks. This notification was accompanied with a demand for the immediate evacuation by the whites of all lands lying south of the Savannah River, and was coupled with a threat that, in case of refusal, every settlement within the specified limits should be extirpated. Alarmed at these bold pretensions, and sensible of her influence over the Creeks, President Stephens ordered the militia to hold themselves in readiness to march to Savannah upon shortest notice, and at once pro ceeded to put the town in the strongest attitude of defense. Its whole force amounted to only one hundred and seventy men capable of bear-

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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

ing arms. A messenger, dispatched to meet Mary while she was still several miles from the town to inquire whether she was serious in her in tentions, and to endeavor to persuade her to dismiss her followers and abandon her pretensions, found her resolute and inflexible. Nothing remained but to receive the Indians boldly. The militia was ordered under arms, and, as the Indians entered the town, Captain Noble Jones, at the head of a troop of horse, stopped them and de manded whether their visit was of a friendly or a hostile character. Reteiving no reply, he commanded them to ground their arms, declaring that his instructions were not to suffer an armed Indian to set foot in the town, and that he was determined to enforce those orders at every haz ard. The Indians reluctantly submitted. Thomas Bosom worth in his canonical robes, with his queen by his side, followed by the kings and chiefs according to their respective rank, marched into Savannah on the 2Oth of July, making a formidable appearance. The citizens were ter ror-stricken at the sight. Advancing to the parade the}' found the mil itia drawn up under arms to receive them. They were saluted with fif- teen cannon, and conducted to the president's house. Bosomworth being commanded to withdraw, the Indian chiefs in a friendly manner were required to declare their object in paying this visit in s^ large a body without being convened by any person in authority. : Having been previously taught what reply to make, they responded that Mary would speak for them, and that they would abide by what she said. They further stated that they heard she was to be sent captive over the great waters, and they wefe come to know on what account (hey were to lose their queen; that they intended no harm, and wished that their arms might be restore^ to fhem. - They gave the assurance that, after consulting with Bosomworth and his wite, they would amicably settle all public affairs. Their guns were accordingly returned to them, and strict orders issued to allow them no ammunition until the council should see more clearly into their dark designs. The day following, the • Indians, having had some private conferences with Mary, with sullen countenances marched about the streets in a tumultuous manner, ap parently determined on mischief. All the men being obliged to mount guard, the women and children, afraid to remain in their houses by them selves, were greatly terrified, expecting every moment to be murdered

ARREST OF THE BOSOMWORTHS,
and scalped. During this period of confusion a false rumor was circu lated that the Indians had cut off President Stephens's head with a tom ahawk. So exasperated were the inhabitants that it was with great diffi- . culty the officers could restrain the troops from firing upon the savages. Bosomworth was arrested and made to understand that in the event of hostilities he should be marked as the first victim. So soon as he was carried into close confinement Mary became frantic, threatening ven geance against the magistrates and the entire colony, ordering all white persons to depart immediately from her territories, cursing Oglethorpe, and pronouncing his treaties fraudulent Furiously stamping her foot upon the earth, she swore by her Maker that the whole globe should "know the ground she stood upon was her own. To prevent the whites from acquiring any ascendency over the chiefs and warriors, she kept the leading.men constantly under her eye, and would not suffer them to utter a sentence on public affairs except in her presence. Finding it utterly impossible to pacify the Indians while under the baleful influence of their pretended queen. President Stephens privately, laid hold of her and put her in close confinement with her husband. In order to faciliate a reconciliation, a feast was prepared for all the chiefs and leading warriors, at which they were informed that Bosomworth had involved himself in debts which he was unable to pay; that he wanted not only their lands but also a large share of the presents which the king had serit over for chiefs and warriors as a compensation for their useful ser vices and firm attachment to him during the war against the common enemy; that Bosomworth wished to obtain these presents to satisfy, at their expense, his creditors in Carolina ; that the lands adjoining Savan nah had been reserved for them to encamp upon when they should visit their beloved white friends, and the three maritime islands for them to fish and hunt upon when they came to bathe in the salt waters; that neither Mary nor her husband hati any right to those lands, but that they were the common property of the whole Creek nation, and that the great felng George had ordered the president to defend their right to them, expecting that all his subjects, both white and red, would live together like brethren. Many of the chiefs, convinced that Bosomworth had deceived them", declared they woufd no loflger be controlled by his advice. Even MalV

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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

atche. the leader of the Lower Creeks, appeared for the moment satisfied, and was greatly delighted to hear that presents were to be distributed. Taking advantage of this favorable change in their sentiments, President Stephens determined to make immediate distribution of the royal bounty and to dismiss the Indians. While preparations were being made to carry this intention into effect, Malatche, whom the Indians compared to the wind because of his fickle and variable temper, having sought and intermediately obtained a personal interview with Bosom worth and his wife, rose up in the midst of the chiefs and warriors assembled to receive their respective shares of the king's gifts, and, with frowning counten ance and in a violent manner, delivered an inflammatory speech abound ing in dangerous insinuations and threats, asserting the paramount claims of Mary, as queen of the Creeks, to all the lands in question ; declaring that her words were the voice'of the nation, that three thousand warriors were prepared to maintain with their lives her rights; and finally con cluding by drawing from his pocket a document which he delivered to President Stephens in confirmation of what he said. This paper had evidently been prepared by Bosomworth, and was an ambitious and vio lent assertion of the pretensions and designs of Mary. When the paper was read in council the members were struck with astonishment. Per ceiving the effect which had been produced, Malatche became uneasy and begged a return of the paper that he might hand it back to the party from whom he received it. President Stephens discerning more clearly than ever how sadly the Indians had been duped by the ambitious, mer cenary, and designing Bosonuvorth, addressed the chiefs and warriors in •-, the following language: " Friends and brothers: When Mr. Oglethorpe and his people first ar rived in Georgia they found Mary, then the wife of John Musgrove, living in a small hut at Yamacraw; he had a license from the governor of South Carolina to trade with the Indians. She then appeared to be in a ploor, ragged condition, and was neglected and despised by the Creeks; but General Oglethorpe, finding that she could speak both the English and Creek languages, employed her as an interpreter, richly clothed her, and made her a woman of the consequence she now appears. The people of Georgia always respected her until she married Bosom worth, but from that time she has proved a liar and a deceiver. In fact, she was no relation of

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Malatche, but the daughter of an Indian woman of no note, by a white man. General Oglethorpe did not treat with her for the lands of Georgia for she had none, but with the old and wise leaders of the Creek nation, who voluntarily surrendered their territories to the king. The Indians at that time having much waste land which was useless to themselves, parted with a share of it to their friends, and were glad that white people had settled among them to supply their wants." He further told them that the present discontents had been artfully infused into the minds of the Creeks by Mary, at the instigation of her husband who demanded a third part of the royal bounty in order to rob the naked Indians of their rights; that he had quarreled with the president and council of Georgia for refusing to answer his exorbitant demands, and had filled the heads of the Indians with wild fancies and groundless jealousies in order to fer ment mischief and induce them to break their alliance with their best friends who alone were able to supply their wants and defend them against their enemies. At this point the Indians acknowledged that their eyes were opened and that they were ready and anxious to smoke the pipe of peace. Pipes and rum were brought, and all, joining hand in hand, drank and smoked in friendship. The distribution of the royal presents—except the ammuni tion, with which it was deemed imprudent at this moment to entrust them —was made, and even Malatche deemed fully satisfied with the share he received. While an amicable adjustment of existing difficulties had thus been effected, and while all were rejoicing in the re-establishment of friendly intercourse, Mary, drunk with liquor, rushed like a fury into the midst of the assembly, telling the president that these were her people and that he had no business with them. The president calmly advised her to re tire to her lodgings and to forbear poisoning the minds of the Indians, as otherwise he would order her again into close confinement. Turning to Malatche in a great rage, she repeated to him, with some ill-natured com ments, what the president had said. Malatche thereupon sprang from his seat, laid hold of his arms, called upon the rest to follow his example, and dared any man to touch his queen. In a moment the whole house was filled with tumult and uproar. Every Indian having hjs tomahawk in his hand, the president and council expected nothing but instant death.
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130

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

During this confusion Captain Jones, who commanded the guard, with wonderful courage interposed and ordered the Indians immediately to sur render their arms. This they reluctantly did. Mary was conveyed to a private room where a guard was placed over her, and all further commu nication with the Indians was denied her during their stay in Savannah. The natives were finally persuaded to leave the town peaceably and to return to their settlements. Mary and her husband were detained un til about the first of August, when, having fully confessed their errors and craved pardon, they were allowed to depart.1 Reprehensible as had been the conduct of Bosomworth and his wife, Mary's demand was still pressed in London, and her claim to the islands of Ossabaw, St Catharine, and Sapelo proved a source of constant an noyance to the colonists. After years of negotiation the affair was finally adjusted in 1759 by paying to Mrs. Bosomworth £450 for goods alleged to have been expended by her in his majesty's service during the years 1747 and 1748, by allowing her a back salary at the rate of £100 per annum for sixteen years and a half, during which she acted in the capa city of government agent and interpreter, and by confirming to her and her designing husband full right and title to St. Catharine Island where they had fixed their home and were then cultivating the soil.

CHAPTER X.
, Rev. George Whitefield—Bethesda Orphan House—Hon. James Habersham— Scheme to Convert the Bethesda Orphan House into a " Seminary of Literature and Academical Learning."—Death of Mr. Whitefield—His Will—Lady Huntingdon.

MONG the prominent names associated with the colonial history of Georgia few, if any, are more widely known than that of the Rev. George Whitefield. Among the charitable schemes devised for the sup1 Account of the Rise and Progress of the polonies of South Carolina and Georgia, vol. ii., p. 152 et seg. London. MDCCLXXlbc. McCall's History of Georgia, voL i.t p. 214 et seg. Savannah. 1811. Stevens's History of Georgia, vol. L, p. 227 et :eq. New York. MDCCCXLVll. Letter of Wm Stephens and Others to tk* Trus tees, dated Savannah, September 8, 1749.

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&EV. GEORGE
port and the education of the penniless and bereaved children of-the province, none acquired a more permanent reputation or served a more valuable purpose than the Bethesdn Orphan House. Natural and most fitting was it that the beneficent capabilities of a plantation, itself the off spring of benevolence, should have enlisted the sympathies and secured the co-operative labors of a noted philanthropist Since the days of Luther and Calvin no one has appeared better qualified than Whitefield / to bear messages of mercy to*suffering humanity. None more eloquent in utterance, or powerful in commending his convictions to the apprehen sion of the thousands who flocked to hear him, has attracted the attention of English-speaking peoples. '* : Above medium stature, slender, finely formed, graceful in every movement, of fair complexion and regular features, with dark blue eyes :lively and expressive, possessing a voice excelling alike in melody and compass,—its modulations accompanied by gestures most appropriate and impressive,—with an intellect quick and strong, a memory very re tentive, and a courageous deportment which evinced no feat in the dis charge of duty: such is the pen-portrait of the fellow of Pembroke Col lege, the chosen companion of the Wesleys and of Inghani, and one o£ the Oxford club of fifteen, the originators and first champions of Meth odism. ' To him, a young clergyman in London, earnestly laboring and yet "waiting to see what Pi evidence would point out," came letters from John Wesley written from Savannah. " Only Mr. Delamotte is with me till God shall stir up the hearts of some of His Servants who/putting their lives in His hands, shall come over and help us where the harvest is so great and the laborers are so few. What if thou art the man, Mr. Whitefield ? Do you ask me what you shall have ? Food to eat arid raiment to put on; a house to lay your head in such as your Lord had not, and a crown of glory that fadeth not away." Upon reading these lines his heart leaped within him and echoed to the call. Neither the tears of an aged mother nor the hope of preferment at home swerved him from his purpose. Accepted by Oglethorpe and the trustees, he embarked for Georgia in December, 1737. The ship which bore him and his compan ion, the Hon. James Habersham, one of the sweetest, purest, most use t ful, and noblest characters in the long line of colonial worthies, touched

HISTORY OF SAVANNAS.
at Gibraltar to take in a detachment of troops for the province. And now the vessel proceeded on her voyage filled with soldiers caring little for spiritual things. Colonel Cochrane, the commanding officer, and Captain Mackay were poKte to the missionary and afforded him every opportunity for preach ing, and holding religious conferences. Incessant were his ministrations and eloquent^his discourses. Before the ship reached Charlestown, swear ing had well-nigh ceased, cards were exchanged for Bibles, oaths were .supplanted by prayers, and the great cabin had been converted into a bethel. Arriving in Savannah he was, in the absence of Mr. John Wesley, entertained at the parsonage by Mr. Delamotte, the schoolmaster. Prior to his departure from London the idea of founding an orphan house in Georgia had been suggested to Mr. Whitefield by the Rev. Charles Wesley. Upon an inspection of the condition of the colony, be coming firmly convinced of the necessity for and the utility of such an institution, he resolved at once and in earnest to compass its foundation. Reflecting upon the laws which denied to the colonists the use of rum and negro slaves and declined to invest them with a fee simple title to I land, he expressed the opinion that while such regulations were well meant at home and were designed to promote the good order and integ rity of the plantation, they were incapable of enforcement in so hot a country. To locate people in Georgia on such a footing, he declared, was little better than tying their legs and bidding them walk. Thus -1 early was he persuaded that one of the chief causes which retarded the development of'the colony was the prohibition placed upon the intro duction of negro labor. That restraint he sought to remove; and, at a later period, was largely instrumental in securing such a modification of existing laws that the employment and ownership of African slaves were allowed within the province. The experience of Wesley and Ingham taught him there was small hope of converting the Indians. With the discharge of the priestly duties which devolved upon a clergyman in Sa vannah he was not content. A visit to the Salzburgers' orphan house at Ebenezer, a short sojourn at Frederica and Darien, and a personal ac quaintance with the recources of the colony convinced him that aid for the erection and support of his contemplated orphan house most come from abroad. He therefore sailed for London on the 6th of September, 1738.

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Upon unfolding his project to the trustees, they were pleased to grant five hundred acres of land in Georgia as a home for his purposed institu tion. Funds were needed For the erection of buildings, and Whitefield went abroad in the land to solicit them. Although many churches were f-~ closed against him, in imitation'of his Divine Master, " who had a moun tain for His pulpit and the Heavens for a sounding board," he com menced preaching in th; fields So wonderful were these open-air min istrations, so eloquent was he in utterance, and so powerful in thought and argument, that multitudes flocked to hear him. His audiences not infrequently numbered twenty thousand. Their singing could be heard for two miles, and his magnificent voice often reached nearly half that distance. Lord Chesterfield said of him, " He is the greatest orator I ever heard, and I cannot conceive of a greater." From the common people who came to listen to him at Moorfields, Kennington Common, Blackheath, and elsewhere, he collected for his orphan house more than ;£i,ooo. The willingness with which his hearers gave, and the prayers they offered when throwing in their mites/were very encouraging to him. Accompanied by a family of eight men, one boy, two children, and his friend Mr. Seward, he sailed for America on the 1 4th of August. 17391 His fame had preceded him. Upon his landing in Philadelphia invita tions to preach were extended in all directions. So occupied was he in responding to them that he did not reach Savannah until the I ith of Jan uary, 1740. Previous to his arrival, his friend Mr. Habersham had located the grant ,of five hundred acres about ten miles from Savannah, and had begun to • clear and stock the land. Meanwhile, such orphans as he had collected were entertained and instructed in a house hired for that purpose. Years afterwards, in reviewing his conduct in connection with the inception of the institution, Mr. Whitefield remarked: " Had I proceeded according to the rules of prudence I should have first cleared the land, built the house, and then taken in the orphans; but I found their condition so piti able and the inhabitants sol. poor, that I immediately opened an infirmary, hired a large house at a great rent, and took in, at different times, twen> ty four orphans. To all this I was encouraged by the example of Pro fessor Franck. But I forgot to recollect that Professor Franck built hi Glaucha, in a populous country, and that I was building in the very tail

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KISTORY OF SAVANNA^.

of the world, where I could not expect the least supply, and which the badness of its constitution, which every day I expected would be altered, rendered by far the most expensive part of his majesty's dominions. But had I received more and ventured less, I should have suffered less, and others more." The first collection made fn America in aid of the orphan house was at the church of the Rev. Mr. Smith, in Charlestown, early in March, 1740. Mr. Whitefield was on a visit to that place, having gone there to meet his brother, who was a ship captain. He was invited to deliver a public address in behalf of his Georgia orphans, and the contribution amounted to £70. On the 25th of that month, with his own hand he "laid the first brick of the great house which he called Bethesda, \. e. house of mercy." At this time the orphans under his charge numbered forty. Besides them, there were about sixty servants and workmen to be paid and fed. Having but little to his credit in bank, he again departed to influence subscriptions of money and provisions. By the 5th of June he was welcomed in Savannah, bringing for Bethesda money and sup plies valued at more than ^"500. His family, as he termed them, now numbered one hundred and fifty, and their subsistence and compensation depended entirely upon his exertions. He coutd take no rest, and in a little while was off for Charlestown on his way to the populous Northern provinces. While in this town the Rev. Alexander Garden, a man of learning and an Episcopal clergyman, took occasion to denounce Whitefield for what he termed his wild doctrines and irregular manner of life. To keep his flock from straying after this migratory and brilliant shep herd, Mr. Garden discoursed front the passage, "Those that have turned the world upside down are come hither also." In his reply, which was delivered with abundant wit and humor, Whitefield selected as his text, "Alexander the coppersmith hath done me much evil; the Lord re ward him according to his works." "In short," says the Rev. Mr. Hewitt, " the pulpit was perverted by both into the mean purposes of spite and malevolence,- and every .one, catching a share of the infection, spoke of the clergymen as they were differently affected." 1 Whitefield carried the day in the popular esteem, and made a clever collection too.
1 Historical Account of the Rise and Progress of the Colonies of South Carolina Georgia, vol iL, p. 167. London. MDCCLXXIX.

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The rest of the year was consumed in preaching in the northern prov inces, whence he returned to the orphan house on the I4th of December, having, during his absence, delivered one hundred and seventy-five dis courses in public, and secured " upwards of seven hundred pounds sterl ing in goods, provisions, and money for the Georgia Orphans." Having spent a happy Christmas with his charge, committing the management of the temporal affairs to Mr. Habersham, and leaving Mr. Jonathan Barber as superintendent of spiritual concerns at Bethesda, he departed early in January, 1741 for England. With the dispute which about this time waxed warm between Whitefield and John Wesley, wherein the former declared himself a Calvinist and the latter an Arminian, we have no present concern. Debts to the amount of £1,000 were outstanding against Whitefield. They had been* incurred in the construction of buildings at Bethesda, in clearing lands, in the employment of servants, and in the support of orphans. He ''had not £20 in the world." Many of his white servants deserted to South . Carolina, and the trustees would not permit him to bring in slave labor for the cultivation of his plantation. Sore perplexed, yet not despairing, his appeals for aid were more potent than ever. Seward, the wealthiest and the most devoted of his disciples, was dead. In dying'he left no legacy to Bethesda. To add to Whitefield's distresses, he was threatened with arrest "Many, very many of my spiritual children who, at my last departure for England, would have plucked out their own eyes for me, are so prejudiced by the dear Messrs. Wesleys dressing up the doctrine of election in such horrible colors that they will neither hear, see, nor give me the least assistance; yea, some of them send threatening letters that God will speedily destroy me." These are his own words. He appealed to Scotland, to England, to America, to the Bermudas, to Ireland, and they all contributed at the hands of the common people. In 1747 he purchased a plantation of six hundred and forty acres of excellent land in South Carolina, and placed several negro slaves upon it. The profits and products of this investment were applied to the support of the or . phan asylum at Bethesda. The next year he advises the trustees that, although he had expended more than five thousand pounds upon Bethesda, very little progress had been made in clearing and cultivating the lands appurtenant to it This

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HISTORY OP SAVANNAH.
be attributes to the inefficiency of white labor, and confidently asserts that if be had been allowed the use of negroes the plantation wonld long since have been self-supporting. t AHudiftg to his interests in Carolina, he continues: "Blessed be God. this plantation has succeeded; and though at present I have only eight wocking hands, yet, in all proba, * » bility, there will be more raised in one yew, and with a quarter the expease, than has been produced at Bethcsda for several years last past. This confirms me in the opinion I have entertained for a long time that Georgia never can or will be a flourishing province without negroes are / aBowed." While Mr. Habersham attended to the disbursement of the sums re mitted, and administered the temporal affairs of the settlement, the entire borden of Bethesda's. support rested upon Mr. Whitefield's shoulders. The routine W ditties observed by the c rphans is thus described by an eye-witness: "The bell rings- in the mon ss$> at sunrise to wake the famfly. Wbesi the childrea arise they sisf a short hymn, pray by them selves, go down to wash, and by die tits i they have done that, the bell calls to public worship^1 when a»ports9i of Scripture is read and ex pounded, a psalm song, and the cxetitstes begin and end with prayer. They then breakfast, aad afterwards some go to their trades and the rest to their prayers and schools. At noon they all dine in the same room, aad have comfortable! and wholesome diet provided. A hymn is sung before and after dinner. Then, is about half an hour, to school again; aad between whiles they find time enough for recreation. A little after swset the bell calls to public duty again, which is performed in the same manner as in the morning. After that they sup, and are attended to bed by one of their masters who then prays with them, as they often do privately." That this orphan house, in the face of many disappointments con nected with its advancement to the stage of usefulness and prosperity anticipated and predicted for it, was an institution of great benefit to the colony, and that its .sheltering arms ministered to the comfort of many homeless orphans and ppinted die way to future^|s)|s|n^ respectability, and independence, catanot be questioned. TraeHv^pippisveral persons who exercised a controlling influence over Georgia ajnirs during the last ' quarter of the eighteenth century were wards of this charity. 1 MilVdgy, Ewen, and Laogworthy. 1 Among them mutjbe

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COLLEGE
Mr. Whitefield's energy surpassed his prudence. In his enthusiasm he lost sight of his better judgment Thus, so eager was he to complete \ the construction of his orphan house that he engaged the services of all the bricklayers and sawyers and of most of the carpenters in Georgia, when he was not in funds to pay for their labor, and when a smaller num ber might have been employed to greater advantage. His zeal was so great that he collected orphans long before his premises were ready for occupation, in the meantime engaging David Douglass's house, at an exorbitant rent, for their reception. So eager was he to multiply the ob jects of charity under his. charge that he, on more than one occasion, un dertook to transfer to Bethesda lads of considerable age who were al ready employed in satisfactory positions. Conceiving the design of con verting the Bethesda orphan house into " a seminary of literature and academical learning" Mr. Whitefield, on the i8th of December, 1764, submitted a memorial which evoked from his excellency Sir James Wright and from both houses of Assembly "fervent wishes for the ac complishment of so useful, so beneficent, and so laudable an undertak ing." That he might obtain from the Crown the necessary sanction and assistance, Mr. Whitefield made a special journey to England. In his memorial submitted to the privy council, and subsequently referred to his grace the archbishop of Canterbury, he prayed for a charter upon the plan of the college of New Jersey, and expressed his readiness to give up his present trust and make a free gift of all lands, negroes, goods, and chattels which he then stood possessed of in the province of Georgia for the present founding and toward the future support of a college to be called by the name of Bethesda College in the province of Georgia." The presidency of the proposed institution Mr. Whitefield did not crave for himself. His shoulders he did not regard as well suited to the sup port of such an academical burden. His capacity he pronounced toe limited for a scholastic trust of this dignity. To be a presbyter-at-large he deemed his proper mission. His wish was to obtain a college charter " upon a broad bottom," to provide proper masters to instruct and pre pare for literary honors youths who, in Georgia and the adjacent prov inces, were desirous of superior educational advantages, to inaugurate a liberal trust which would endure long after he was gathered to his fath ers, and to know that his beloved Bethesda would not only be continued
18 ,

138

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

as a house of mercy for the poor orphans, but would also be confirmed to the latest posterity "as a seat and nursery of sound learning and religious education." Pleasing as were these anticipations, they were never realized. Early on the morning of the 3Oth of September, 1770, he, whose voice had so long and so eloquently filled the land, died of an acute attack of asthma in the village of Newburyport, Mass.; and shortly afterwards the build ings at Bethesda were consumed by fire. So rapid was the conflagra tion that only a little of the furniture and a few of the books were saved. " Happy was it," exclaims Captain McCall,1 " for the zealous founder of this institution that he did not survive the ruins of a fabric on which his heart was fixed, and to the completion of which he had devoted so much time and labor." Profound was the impression produced in Savannah by the intelligence of his death. Church and State House were draped in black, and the governor and council arrayed themselves in the habili ments of mourning. Funeral discourses were pronounced, and the en tire population bemoaned his loss. In his will, now of file in the office of the secretary of State at At lanta, appears the following devise : " In respect to my American con cerns, which I have engaged in simply and solely for His great name's sake, I leave that building commonly called the Orphan House, at Be thesda, in the province at Georgia, together with all the other buildings lately erected thereon, and likewise all other buildings, lands, negroes, books, furniture, and every other thing whatsoever which I now stand possessed of in the Province of Georgia aforesaid, to that elect Lady, that Motheyin Israel, that Mirror of true and undefiled religion, the Right Honorable Selina, Countess Dowager of Huntingdon: desiring that as soon as may be after my decease, the plan of the intended Orphan-House Bethesda College may be prosecuted : if not not practicable or eligible, to pursue the present plan of the Orphan-House Academy on its old foundation and usual channel; but if her Ladyship should be called to enter her glorious rest before my decease, I bequeath all the buildings, lands, negroes, and everything before mentioned which I now stand pos sessed of in the Province of Georgia aforesaid, to my dear fellow-traveller and faithful, invariable friend, the Honorable James Habersham, Presi————f————————————————————————————————————.— * History of Georgia, voL L, p. 162. Savannah. 1811.

LADY HUNTINGDON.

139

dent of His Majesty's honorable Council; and should he survive her Lady ship I earnestly recommend him as the most proper person to succeed her Ladyship, or to act for her during her Ladyship's life time in the Or phan-House Academy." In pursuance of this devise Lady Huntingdon sent over a house keeper to manage the domestic affairs of the institution, continued the Rev. Mr. Crosse as teacher, and constituted Mr. Percy president and gen eral manager. Her plans, however, were violently frustrated by the fire to which reference has already been made. With her private means she erected new buildings sufficient to ac commodate the few pupils in attendance upon the school. Moribund was the condition of the institution during her life, and still more unsat isfactory its administration under the board of trustees appointed by the State when Georgia exercised dominion over this property. Another devastating fire occurred, which converted into ashes the greater portion of the main structure ; and a hurricane, uplifting the tides, desolated the rice fields. The trustees were powerless to make the needed repairs, and the Legislature, by an act assented to on the 22d day of December, i8o8, 1 directed the sale of the estate and provided for the distribution of its proceeds among certain eleemosynary institutions in the city of Sa vannah. In 1854 the board of managers of the Union Society purchased apart of the original Bethesda tract, and upon the very spot formerly occupied by Whitefield's orphan house erected buildings for the accommodation and instruction of the boys committed to their charitable care. Thus happily is the philanthrophic scheme of the most noted of English pulpit orators, who " loved to range in the American woods," who was nevei* happier than when " holding a levee of wounded souls," and whose gen erous arms were ever open to succor the poor and the orphan, perpetu ated in the living present
1 Clayton's Digest, p. 463.

140

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH. CHAPTER XI.

Georgia. Divided into two Counties—Colonel William Stephens Appointed President —His Death at Bewlie—Mr. Parker Succeeds to his Office—Negro Slavery and the Importation of Spirituous Liquors Permitted—Land Tenures Enlarged—Commercial House of Harris & Habersham—First Provincial Assembly—Qualification for Mem bership—First General Muster—The Trustees Surrender their Charter—Patrick Gra ham Succeeds Mr. "Parker as President of the Colony.

OR the convenience of the inhabitants, and in the interest of good government, the trustees, on the I5th of April 1741, divided the province of Georgia into two counties—Savannah and Frederica. The former included all settlements along the line of the Savannah River and upon both banks of the great Ogechee, and such additional territory south of the latter stream as should be designated when a proper niap of the country could be prepared. Within the latter were embraced Darien, Frederica, and the entire region lying south of the Alatamaha ^River. Over each a president and four assistants were to bear rule, constituting a civil and judicial tribunal for the administration of political affairs and the adjudication of all controversies. ^_Zor the county of Savannah Col onel William Stephens was selected as president, with a salary of £80 per annum. Henry Parker, Thomas Jones, Jona Fallowfield, and Samuel Marcer were named as his assistants. No nominations were made for Frederica, although General Oglethorpe was requested to suggest a suit able president. The local bailiffs there remained in charge. So long as General Oglethorpe continued to reside in Georgia all disagreements be tween county officials could be readily settled, because he exercised a con trolling influence throughout the entire province. In anticipation of his return to^rngland, and to avoid the erection of separate governments, the trustees, on the i8th of April 1743, abrogated so much of the constitution as provided for the appointment of a board for Frederica, and empowered the president and assistants at Savannah to administer the civil and judicial affairs of the whole colony. Thus, upon the departure of General Oglethorpe, Colonel Stephens became president of Georgia. Prior to his promotion to the presidency of Sa vannah county he had, for several years, occupied the position of secre tary in Georgia to the trustees. In discharging the duties appertaining

F

PRESIDENT STEPHENS'S ADMINISTRATION.

141

to this office his industry, his loyalty, and his prompt obedience were con spicuous. Although'his experience, attainment's, good judgment, and probity of character admirably fitted him for the execution of the impor tant trust, so advanced was he in years, and so great were his physical infirmities, that he was sometimes incapable of dispatching, with neces sary rapidity, the public business. As the years rolled on he became quite sensible of his feebleness, and, in 1750, consented that his assist ants should, in the main, proceed without him. On the iQth of March, in that year, Henry Parker was appointed vice-president, and subse quently attended to the duties of the president, although Colonel Ste phens continued to hold the office until April or May of the following year when he was succeeded by Mr. Parker. He then carried into effect his intention of retiring from Savannah—the capital of the province— into the country where he would "be at liberty to mind the more weighty things of a future state, not doubting but the trustees would enable him to end his few remaining days without care and anxiety." In this ex pectation he was not disappointed, for the Common Council, " in consid eration of his great age and infirmities and his past services," granted him a comfortable annuity. The evening of his days was peacefully spent at his plantation near Savannah which he named Bewlie because of a fancied resemblance which it bore to the manor of his grace the Duke of Montague in the New For est : a locality in after years rendered memorable by the debarkation of Count d'Estaing on the I2th of September, 177^, and by the erection of formidable batteries for the protection of this water approach to the city of Savannah during the war between the States. Here he lingered until about the middle of August, 1753, when, at the tea table, having just tasted the proffered cup, he remarked with great composure, " I have " done eating and drinking in this world." Conducted to his bedroom, he lay upon his couch, unable either to speak or to receive nourishment, un til the next day, when this venerable servant of the trust and firm friend of the colony rested from his labors and entered into peace. During the early part of President Stephens's administration Georgia did not prosper.. The trustees still enforced their regulations regarding land tenures, slaves and rum. Failing to appreciate the true difficulties of the situation, they sacrificed the material interests of the plantation to

142

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

their notions of policy and propriety. The present was utterly unsatis factory, and the future appeared devoid of hope. The acres planted in mulberries were so neglected that they scarcely evinced any token of their former cultivation. Offered bounties failed to stimulate the pro duction of silk, and of vines there were none. Rice was planted only in small quantities; cotton was"a curiosity; indigo seldom seen; and the corn crop was insufficient for home consumption. The malaria of the swamps poisoned the white laborer, and the hot sun robbed him of all energy. As a general rule the articled servants, upon the expiration of their terms, deserted the colony, and none appeared to supply their places. Immi gration had almost ceased. Money was scarce and labor high. Farms were neglected, and th± inhabitants were dejected. The only commercial house in Savannah of any repute was that of Harris & Habersham, and its shipments at first were chiefly confined to deer-skins, lumber, cattle, hogs, and-poultry. At the request of the Rev. Mr. Bolzius, Mr. James Habersham, who then possessed and exerted a decided political, moral, and commer cial influence in the colony, prepared a letter in which he carefully re viewed the condition of the province, commented upon the chimerical plans of the trustees, and suggested wise changes in their policy. Con trary to his expectations, this communication found its way into the hands of the Common Council When he ascertained this fact Mr. Habersham feared all hope of favor and countenance from that honorable body was at an end, and that, taking umbrage at the views he had expressed and the strictures in which he had indulged, the trustees would be disposed to visit upon him their displeasure. On the contrary, his forcible pre sentation of the case and his cogent reasoning attracted their particular notice, and gave rise to deliberate discussion. Instead of incurring their wrath, he jj^as, to his surprise, appointed by them as an assistant in Sa vannah in the place of Samuel Marcer who had proved faithless to his trust. Although frequently memorialized on the subject, the trustees uni' formly refused to sanction the introduction of negro slavery into the prov ince. They could not be persuaded to allow the Georgia colonists even to hire negroes owned in Carolina. The impolicy of an adherence to this course of administration had long been apparent to many. It was now

NEGRO SLAVERY INTRODUCED.
more evident than ever that if the employment of the African laborer was not permitted the development of the province would be fatally ob structed. The colonists determined, therefore, to disregard the injunc tions of the trustees. The terms for which European servants had been engaged had generally expired, and there was no way of remedying this deficiency in labor except by hiring negro slaves from their masters in South Carolina, with the proviso that if any attempt was made on the part of the Georgia authorities to enforce the regulations of the trustees the owner of the slave should be promptly notified so that he might come forward and claim his property. Finding that this evasion of tjie law succeeded, the colonists went one step further and hired negro slaves for a hundred years, or during life, paying in advance the full value 'of the slaves; the former owners covenanting to intervene and claim them in case such action was rendered necessary by any proceedings on the part of the Georgia authorities. Finally, purchases from negro traders were openly concluded in Sa vannah. " Some seizures," says Captain McCall, " were made by those who opposed the principle, but as a majority of the Magistrates favored the introduction of slaves into the Province, legal decisions were sus pended from time to time, and a strong disposition was evidenced by the courts to evade the operation of the law. So great was the majority on that side of the question that anarchy and confusion were likely to be kindled into civil war. Several negro servants had been purchased for the Orphan House, and Mr. Habersham declared that the institution could .not be supported without them. The servants sent over from England by Mr. Whitefield, after a few months, refused to yield to the menial duties assigned to them. Many ran away, and were supported and secreted in Carolina by their countrymen until an opportunity offered to escape fur ther north, where they were secured against a compliance with the con ditions of their indentures. The few who remained were too old, too young, or too much afflicted with disease to render services equal to a compensation for their clothing and subsistence. Those who had fled soon found that they could procure land in the other colonies on easy terms, and engage in employments less degrading and more advan tageous." These violations and evasions of the regulations in regard to the em-

144

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

ployment of negroes within the colony having been brought to the notice of the trustees, the Common Council sharply reprimanded the president and assistants, and ordered them at once to put an end to these en croachments. In their response those gentlemen expressed a fear that the trustees had been misinformed in regard to their conduct. They confidently asserted that the board had always discouraged the use of black slaves in the province, and had charged those to whom lands were granted not to attempt the introduction or use of negroes. It is more than hintetl, however, that while the president and his assistants were indulging in these protestations to the trustees they stimulated popular clamor and secretly connived at the accession of negroes. They were charged by Mr. Dobell with duplicity and dissimulation, and Colonel Al exander Heron boldly averred: " It is well known to every one in the Colony that Negroes have been in and about Savannah for these several years past: that the magistrates knew and winked at it, and that their constant toast is ' the one thing needful,' by which is meant Negroes." Those who supported the plans of the trustees in this regard were denounced, " and the leading men both of New Inverness and Ebenezer were traduced, threatened, and persecuted " for their opposition to the introduction of negro slavery. Such was the excitement on this subject that the opponents of the scheme for the employment of African labor shrunk from further contest with its advocates. The magistrates were intimidated ; and even good Mr. Bolzius, who, with his followers, had al ways protested against the admission of negro slaves, wrote to the trus tees on the 3d of May, 1748 : " Things being now in such a melancholy state, I must humbly beseech your Honors not to regard any more our or our friends' petitions against Negroes." No two individuals were so instrumental in prevailing upon the trus tees to relax this prohibition as the Rev. Mr. Whitefield and the Honor able James Habersham. The former boldly asserted that the transpor tation of the African from his home of barbarism to a Christian land, where he would be humanely treated and be required to perform his share of toil common to the lot of humanity, was advantageous, while the latter affirmed that the colony could not prosper without the inter vention of slave labor. On the roth of January, 1749, the president and assistants and a con-

NEGRO SLAVERY PERMITTED.
siderable number of the inhabitants of Georgia forwarded to the trustees a petition, to which the town seal was affixed, suggesting certain restric tions and regulations under which they prayed that negro slaves might be admitted into the colony. This petition having been read and con sidered by the trustees, it was resolved to memorali?e his majesty in council for a repeal of the act prohibiting the importation and use of black slaves within the province of Georgia. A committee, of which the Earl of Shaftesbury was appointed chairman, was raised to prepare an act re pealing the former act on this subject. The result of all this agitation was that the trustees yielded to the petition of the colonists, and Georgia, after a struggle of sixteen years, acquired the right, long enjoyed by her sister English colonies in Amer ica, of owning and employing negro slaves. Soon another regulation, to which the trustees tenaciously clung, was abrogated. By a vote of the House of Commons they were directed to repeal the act which prohibited the introduction of rum and other distilled liquors. 1 And, finally, a resolution was adopted by the trustees on the 25th of May, 1750 which provided; "That the Tenures of all Grants of Land whatsoever already made to any person within the Province of Georgia be enlarged and extended to an absolute Inheritance, and that all future Grants of Land shall be of an absolute Inheritance to the Grantees, their Heirs and Assigns." Thus had the trustees been constrained, by force of circumstances, to .abrogate, one after another, several fundamental regulations which they at first promulgated for the government of the colony, and which they long esteemed essential to its moral and political welfare. Lands in .Geor gia were now held in fee simple : and the power of alienation was unre.-! stricted. The ownership and employment of negro slaves were free to I all, and the New England manufacturer and the Santa Cruz merchant here found an open market for their rum. The trustees also misinterpreted the capabilities of the climate and soil
i President Stephens, in writing to the trustees, expressed the opinion that less nun was consumed in the colony after its use was permitted than when it was obtained and drunk clandestinely. He further stated that " a beverage compounded of one part of rum, three parts of water, and a little brown sugar, was very fit to be taken at meals," and. that it was, " during the warm season, far more wholesome than malt liquors."

1

/

HistORY OF SAVANNAH.
of Georgia. Although substantial , encouragement had been afforded to Mr. Amatis, to Jacques Camuse, to the Salzburgers at Ebenezer, to Mr. Pickering Robinson, to Mr. Habersham, and to Mr. Lloyd; although cop per basins and reeling-machines had been supplied and a filature erected; although silk-worm eggs were procured and mulberry trees mutiplied, silk culture in Georgia yielded only a harvest of disappointment The vine too languished. The olive trees from Venice, the barilla seeds from Spain, the kali from Egypt, and other exotics, obtained at much expense, after a short season withered and died in the public garden The hemp and flax, from the cultivation of which such rich yields were anticipated, never warranted the charter of a single vessel for their transportation, and indigo did not commend itself to general favor. Exportations of lumber were infrequent Cotton was then little more than a garden plant, and white labor had been unable to compete successfully with Carolina ne groes in the production of rice. Up to this point the battle had been with nature for life and subsistence; and upon the stores of the trust did many long rely for food and clothing. Of trade there was little, and that was confined to necessaries. * With the exception of occasional shipments of copper money for circulation among the inhabitants, sola bills 1 consti tuted the currency of the province. These were issued by the trustees and placed in the hands of their Georgia agents to be by them paid out
iThe following fe a copy of one of these bills, with its indorsement : " Georgia Bill of Exchange ) payable in England. > A. No. 13,464. Westminster 29th May, 1749. Thirty days after sight hereof, we the Trustees for Establishing the Colony of Georgia in America Promise to pay this our Sola Bill of Exchange to W™ Stephens Esq., Henry Parker, W* Spencer, and Ja' Hab ersham or the order of any two of them, the Sum of One Pound Sterling at our Office in Westminster, to answer the like value received in Georgia on the Issue hereof, as testi fied by Indorsement hereon, sign'd by the said two who shall Issue this Bill. ;£<Sealed by order of the Common Council of the said Trustees for Establishing the Colony of Georgia in America. HARMAN VERELIST, Acco**"*. (Endorsed) Georgia, October I3th. 1749. This Bill was Ufcn Issued to William Stephens Esqr for value received. Therefore Pleaae to Pay the Contents to him or order. HENRY PARKER,

WILL STEPHENS.

WM SPENCER. 1749."

HOUSE OF HARRIS AND HABERSHAM.

147

as occasion required. They were redeemable in England, and, when not specially indorsed, passed current as any Bank of England notes. When presented for payment and redeemed they were canceled in the presence of one Common Council man and two trustees. A careful record was preserved of all bills issued and redeemed. While General Oglethorpe remained in Georgia, to him was confided the issuing of them, and after his departure this duty devolved upon the president and assistants. The trustees required that specific report should be made of the purpose for which each bill was issued. More than one hundred and thirty-five thou sand dollars were thus sent over to the colony at different times and dis bursed in payment of salaries and in discharge of other expenses con nected with the execution of the trust At the expiration of their char ter the accountant reported to the trustees that sola bills to the amount of £1,149 had not been returned for payment Whereupon, the Com mon Council placed that sum in the hands of Mr. Lloyd, a reputable silk merchant, who engaged to redeem them when presented. Public notice was also inserted in the American gazettes requiring their presentation before the ist of January, I7S6. 1 In their administration of the financial affairs of the colony the trus tees exhibited the utmost prudence, care, and economy. In all their la bors they were exact. No body of men could have executed a trust with greater fidelity or in a manner further removed from personal gain or the hope of private emolument. They were philanthropists all, and in the consciousness of duty discharged, in the scrupulous distribution of blessed charities, in honest efforts for the amelioration of the condition of their own unfortunate fellow citizens and of the oppressed Protestants of Europe, in the dissemination of the truths of Christianity upon distant shores, and in the patriotic extension of British dominion did they find honor and reward. Commercial, industrial, and governmental mistakes they did commit, but their errors were all of the head and not of the heart. For more than a century and a quarter has tbeir record been made up, and it stands to-day without a single stain. To the house of Harris & Habersham is Georgia indebted for the estab- \ lishment of her earliest commercial relations not only with Philadelphia, New York, and Boston, but also with London. They were the first merl Sce Stevens's History of Georgia, vol. L, p. 315. New York. MDCCCXLVli.

1 48

HI&TORY OF SAVANNAH.

chants here engaged in exporting and importing. By them was the first ship chartered for a Georgia cargo. This was in 1749, and the articles -exported consisted chiefly of pitch, tar, staves, rice, and deer-skins. Lib eral in their dealings, possessing a commercial credit and correspondence beyond any others fn the province engaged in mercantile pursuits, and eager to promote the prosperity of the metropolis of Georgia, these gen tlemen sought to stimulate the inhabitants to such a degree of industry that their home products would suffice not only for consumption within the plantation but also for exportation. Their effort was, by an accum ulation of needed supplies, to secure the trade of the Carolina planters and sell their crops for them. By attracting English shipping to the port they increased the growth and importance of Savannah and furnished a direct outlet for all articles seeking a foreign market. So successful were the operations of this enterprising firm that the colony materially increased in wealth and in the enjoyment of comforts to which its inhab itants had hitherto been strangers. Within a very few years after the establishment of its relations with England, and after the introduction of negro slaves, a member 1 of this house thus writes: "My present thoughts are that the colony never had a better appearance of thriving than now. There have been more vessels loaded here within these ten months than have been since the Colony was settled. Our exportations for a year past are an evident proof that if proper labouring hands could have been had years before, this Colony before now would have demon strated its utility to the Mother Country and the West India Islands. Two days ago a large ship arrived here addressed to my partner and my self, which is the fifth sea vessel which has been here to load within a year; more, I may affirm, than has ever Been loaded in this Colony be fore since its first settlement, with its real produce," On the 8th of April, 1751 Mr. Henry Parker was appointed president of the colony in the room of Colonel William Stephens. Pickering Rob inson and Francis Harris were named as his assistants, and Mr. Noble Jones was commissioned as register of the province. In pursuance of the resolution adopted by the trustees in June, 1750, writs of election had been issued for the selection of delegates to a pro vincial assembly to convene at Savannah on the I5th of the following
1 Th« Hon. James Habersham.

PROVINCIAL ASSEMBLY.

149

January. Sixteen delegates composed that assembly, and they were "proportioned to the population of the different parishes or districts." For the convocation, apportionment, and qualification of these assembly men, the following regulations were established by the Common Council. The assembly was to convene in the town of Savannah once a year, at such time as should be designated as most convenient by the presi dent of the colony and his assistants, and remain in session not longer than one month. Every town, village, or district in the province, containing a popula tion of ten families, was empowered to send one deputy. Any settle ment embracing thirty families could appoint two delegates. To the town of Savannah four deputies were allowed; to Augusta and Ebenezer two each; and to Frederica two, provided there were thirty families resi dent there. As the privilege of enacting laws was, by charter, vested solely in the trustees, this assembly could not legislate. Its powers were limited to discussing and suggesting to the trustees such measures as they might deem conducive to the welfare of particular communities and important for the general good of the province. Within three days after their assembling these deputies were required to submit in writing a statement showing the number of inhabitants, both white and black (specifying sex and age in every instance), the quantity of land cultivated by each inhabitant and in what crop planted, the num ber of negroes owned and employed, the quantity of mulberry trees standing and fenced on each plantation, and the progress made by each man or family in the culture of silk, indigo, cotton, etc., in the several towns or parishes represented by them. These accounts, and also the suggestions of the assembly when signed by its presiding officer, were to be delivered to the president and assist ants for prompt transmission to the trustees. The presiding officer was to be chosen by the delegates. When se lected by them, he must be presented for the approval or disapproval of the president of the colony. Should the president decline to sanction the choice of the assembly, if demanded by any three of the members, he was required to give his reasons for such disapproval and to transmit the same in writing for the consideration of the trustees.

150

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

For delegates to the first assembly, which was convened at the earliest practicable moment, no qualifications were prescribed; but after the 24th ! of June, 1751, no inhabitant could be elected a deputy who had not one hundred mulberry trees planted and properly fenced upon every tract of fifty acres which he possessed. From and after the 24th of June, 1753, no one was capable of being a delegate who had not strictly conformed 1 to the prescribed limitation of the number of negro slaves in proportion to his white servants, who had not in his family at least one female in structed in the art of reeling silk, and who did not annually produce fif teen pounds of silk for every fifty acres of land owned by him. Such were the curious qualifications prescribed for membership of the first quasi-deliberative, quasi-legislative body which ever assembled in Georgia. They were evidently intended to stimulate the production of silk, that commodity which blinded the eyes of the trustees and warped their judgment in directing the industrial pursuits of the colonists. The assembly convened at Savannah on the day appointed, and or ganized by the election of Francis Harris as speaker. Among the mem bers who appeared, and, having taken the " oaths of allegiance, suprem acy, and abjurgation " were duly seated were: From the Savannah District: Francis Harris, speaker, John Milledge, William Francis, and William Russel. The proceedings of this assembly were unimportant. It was a day of small things, and there was little to attract notice, save such trival mat ters as the want of a pilot boat, the lack of a boat-house under the bluff, of standard weights, scales, and measures, of a survey of the Savannah River, of a commissioner to regulate pilotage, of a clerk of the market, and needs of a kindred character. The first general muster of the militia of the lower districts was held in Savannah on Tuesday, the I3th of June, 1751. About two hundred and twenty men,—infantry and cavalry,—armed and equipped, paraded under the command of Captain Noble Jones. In the language of the record of the day, they "behaved well and made a pretty appearance." Although the charter granted by his majesty, King George II., to the trustees for establishing the colony o'f Georgia in America did not by its terms expire until the pth of June, 1753, persuaded that the proper ad ministration of the affairs of the province and the defrayal of the ex-

PATRICK GRAHAM, PRESIDENT.
penses connected with the suitable maintenance of the civil and military establishments transcended their capabilities, the Common Council, on the 2$th of April, 1751, appointed a committee, with the Earl of Shaftesbury as its chairman, to adjust with the general government " proper means for supporting and settling the colony for the future, and to take from time to time all such measures as they should find necessary for its well being." Various conferences were held which resulted in the formal execution of the deed of surrender on the 23d of June in the following year. Georgia thereupon ceased to exist as the ward of the trustees^ Until clothed with the attributes of State sovereignty by the successful results of the American Revolution, she was recognized as one of the daughters of the Crown under the special charge of the Lords Commis sioners for Trade and Plantations. By the terms of surrender of the charter her integrity as a province,—separate from and independent of South Carolina,—was fully assured, and all grants of land hitherto made to the inhabitants were recognized and protected. Early in July, 1752, the lords justices, with the advice of the Privy Council, issued a proclamation to the effect that until his majesty in his royal wisdom should see fit to establish another form and order of gov ernment for Georgia all officers of that colony, both civil and military, holding appointments from the trustees, should continue in their respec tive places of trust, and receive such emoluments, salaries, and fees as had been incident thereto respectively. Such officers were admonished to be , diligent and faithful in the discharge of their duties, and it was enjoined upon the inhabitants of the province to render them every obedience and assistance. ? Benjamin Martyn was appointed agent of the colony in England. Upon the death of Mr. Parker, Patrick Graham succeeded to the presi dency of Georgia. His assistants were James Habersham, Noble Jones, Pickering Robinson, and Francis Harris. In a letter from these gentle men to the board of trade, dated Savannah in Georgia, April II, 1753, we are informed that the population of Georgia, by recent count, c&nsisted of two thousand three hundred and eighty-one whites and one thousand and sixty-six blacks. 1 This estimate did not include his ma1 The population of the town of Savannah was then between seven and eight hun dred.

152

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH

jesty's troops and boatmen then in the colony, or a congregation of two hundred and eighty whites, with negro slaves, aggregating five hundred and thirty-six, coming from South Carolina and partially located in the Midway settlement, or Butler's colony, with sixty slaves. Six vessels were reported as then lying at the wharves in Savannah loading for London and American ports. Joseph Ottolenghe who, in Italy, had acquired a knowledge of the best method of conducting filatures, was about to succeed Mr. Pickering Robinson in charge of the silk culture. Remittances were requested in support of this industry, and also in aid of the friendly Indians who were craving additional presents.

CHAPTER XII.
Captain John Reynolds, the First Royal Governor of Georgia—His Report upon the Condition of the Province and of Savannah in 1754—Recommends the Removal of the Seat of Government to Hardwicke—Courts Established in Savannah—Population and Military Strength of the Province—Governor Reynolds's Representation for the Defense of Savannah—Governor Henry Ellis—His Admirable Administration of Public Affairs Georgia Divided into Parishes—Christ Church—Act favoring the Erection of Churches in Sympathy with the Tenets of the Established Church of England—Legislation with Regard to Savannah—Conference with the Creek Indians—Heat in Savannah—Re tirement of Governor Ellis.

ITH the plan submitted by the Lords Commissioners for Trade and Plantations on the 5th of March, 1754, "for establishing a civil government in his majesty's colony of Georgia," his majesty, King George v II., was well pleased. On the 6th of August he appointed Captain John I Reynolds governor of the province, William Clifton, esq., attorney-gene ral, James Habersham, esq., secretary and register of the records, Alex ander Kellet, esq., provost-marshal, and William Russell, esq., naval offi cer. Mr. Henry Yonge and Mr. John Gerar William DeBrahm were com missioned as "joint surveyors of land in Georgia," at a salary each of £50 per annum, and Sir Patrick Houstoun, Bart., was selected as register of grants and receiver of quit rents, with like salary. Patrick Graham, Sir Patrick Houstoun, Bart, James Habersham, Alexander Kellet, William Clifton, Noble Jones, Pickering Robinson, Francis Harris, Jonathan Bryan,

W

GOVERNOR REYNOLDS.

153

and William Russell were confirmed as members of council. To their number Clement Martin was subsequently added. The device submitted by the Lords Commissioners of Trade and Plantations for a public seal for the colony was, on the 2ist of June, 1754, approved by his majesty, and the chief engraver of seals was ordered forthwith to engrave one of silver for the use of the province. It was to be of equal size with those sent to North and South Carolina. The de sign was as follows: On one face was a figure representing the Genius of the colony offering a skein of silk to his majesty, with the motto "Hinc laudem sperate Coloni," and this incription around the circumference, "Sigillum Provincial Nostrae Georgiae in America." On the other side appeared his majesty's arms, crown, garter, supporters, and motto, with the inscription "Georgius II., Dei Gratia Magnae Britannia? Franciae et Hiberniae Rex, Fidei Defensor, Brunsvici et Luneburgi Dux, Sacri Romani Imperil Archi Thesaurarius et Princeps Elector." From the time of the surrender of the charter until the arrival of Governor Reynolds in Georgia the government of the province was ad ministered, according to the plan inaugurated by the trustees, by a pres ident and four assistants who received their instructions from and made report to the Lords Justices, and the Lords Commissioners of Trade and Plantations. Sailing in the man-of-war Port Mahon, Governor Reynolds landed at Savannah on the 29th of October, 1/54- He was received with every demonstration of respect and joy. Bonfires at night supplemented the general delight which was manifested during the day. After a formal in troduction to the president and assistants in council assembled, his com mission was read. He was then conducted to the president's chair, whence he announced the dissolution of the old board and the formation of a royal council under letters-patent from the Crown. The next morning the members of council took the oath of office and completed their or ganization. Other officers, named by his majesty, were sworn to faith fully perform the duties devolving upon them. His commission as cap tain-general and vice-admiral of the province was "read and published at the head of the militia under arms before the council chamber. It was listened to with profound attention and saluted with several rounds of ao

154

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

^

musketry and shouts of loyalty." 3 A public dinner, given by the mem bers of council and the principal inhabitants of Savannah in honor of the governor, closed the public exercises of the occasion, and the province passed thus simply and joyously from the hands of the trustees into the direct keeping of the Crown. .. Governor Reynolds's earliest impressions of the condition and needs of the province are conveyed in^ letter and two memorials to the Lords Commissoners of Trade and Plantations, dated "at Savannah, in Georgia, December 5th, 1754." After announcing his arrival on the 29th of Oc tober, and his pleasant reception by the inhabitants, he proceeds to give an account of the commercial metropolis and capital of Georgia. "The town of Savannah is well situated and contains about a hundred and fifty houses, all wooden ones, very small and mostly very old. The biggest was used for the meeting of the President and Assistants, wherein I sat in Council for a few days, but one end fell down whilst we were all there, and obliged us to move to a kind of shed behind the Court-house, which being quite unfit, I have given orders, with the advice of the Council, to fit up thV shell of a. house which was lately built for laying up the silk, but was riever made use of, being very ill-calculated for that purpose as Mr. OtfdTJftnghe informs me, wherefore he says he has no further use for it, but it will make ^tolerable good house for the Council and Assembly to meet in, and for a few offices besides." The prison being a small wooden structure and entirely insecure, he ordered it to be strengthened and supplied with bolts and bars. With the advice of the council a proc lamation was published, continuing all officers in their present employ ments until further notice. Writs of election were issued for selecting representatives to serve in a general assembly to convene in Savannah on the 7th of January, 1755. The erection of "Courts of Justice and Ju dicature," in accordance with his majesty's instructions, was receiving consideration. Some Indians had already come down to salute the new governor. They stated that so soon as the hunting season was over num bers would appear to receive the presents which were subject to distribu tion. The necessity for additional troops to garrison the southern frontier of the province and to prevent the desertion of negro slaves to the Span iards in St. Augustine, who were constantly encouraging them to run away from their masters, was strongly urged upon the immediate and
See *;>\eien&'* History of Georgia, voL I, p. 386. New York. MDCCCXLVii.

GOVERNOR REYNOLDS' ADMINISTRATION.

155

favorable notice of the home government. Liberal presents were re quested for the Chickasaws, Creeks, Uchees, Choctaws, and Cherokees, whom, as he was advised by Mr. McGilltvray and other Indian traders of repute, the French at Mobile were endeavoring to excite to hostilities against South Garolina and Georgia. For the further protection of the colony demand was made for an infantry force of one hundred and fifty men, and requisitions were filed for cannon, small arms, and ammunition. While upon a tour of inspection of the southern portions of the prov ince, Governor Reynolds was so favorably impressed with the location of Hardwicke, on the Great Ogeechee River, he represented to the Lords Commissioners for Trade and Plantations that it was the only place within the limits of Georgia "fit for the capital." A removal of the seat of gov ernment from Savannah to this point was earnestly recommended! In this suggestion Governor Ellis subsequently sympathized, but the change was never sanctioned by the home authorities, and the little town of Hardwicke—named in' honor of the lord high chancellor of England— deprived of its anticipated dignity and importance, developed into simply a small trading village adapted to the convenience of the few who there resided and cultivated the lands in the vicinity. The attorney-general of the province, having arrived in Savannah on the 12th of December, submitted his report designating the best method of putting into practical operation his majesty's pleasure with regard to the organization and conduct of courts within the colony. The council thereupon proceeded at once to establish them so that there might be no delay in the orderly administration of justice. The General Court, of which Noble Jones and Jonathan Bryan were constituted justices, was organized in Savannah where it was permanently located. Four regular terms were to be holden in each year, to wit, on the second Tuesday of January, April, July, and October. Its province was to take cognizance of all actions, real, personal, and mixed, where the amount in controversy exceeded forty shillings. Criminal matters were also subject to its juris diction ; its powers and authority being similar to those inherent in the King's Bench, the Common Pleas, and the Court of Exchequer in Eng land. If the amount involved exceeded £300, an appeal lay to the gov ernor and council; and if the judgment was for more than £$oo, a fur ther appeal could be prosecuted to his majesty in council, provided the appellant entered into proper security to press his appeal and respond to

156

"

HISTORY OF SAVAHNAH.

the final condemnation. Notice of such appeal was to be given within fourteen days after the rendition of the judgment. A CourtVf Chancery for hearing equity causes was organized. In it the governor sat as chancellor, and its other officers were a master, a reg ister, and an examiner. Its doors were to be open after each session of " the General Court, if business required. For the trial of criminal matters a special court of Oyer and Terminer, with two terms a year, was at first provided. But the business of this courtjhaving been soon transferred to the General Court, the court of Oyer and Terminer was discontinued. For the punishment of violations of the Acts of Trade, and for the ad judication of claims concerning salvage, the wages of mariners, and other maritime affairs, a Court of Admiralty was established. Over this the governor presided as vice-admiral, and the other officers were James Ed ward Powell, judge-advocate; William Clifton, advocate-general; Alex ander Kellet, marshal; and William Spencer, register. An appeal lay to the High Court of Admiralty in England. Justices were appointed for the several districts of the province, and they were authorized to hear and determine causes where the amount in volved did not exceed forty shillings. For punishing slaves committing capital crimes a commission of Oyer and Terminer might, upon an emergency, be issued to the justice of the district in which the offense was oammitted, to try the accused with out a jury. If found guilty and sentenced to death, the justice might award execution, and set upon the slave a value which was afterwards to be paid to the owrt^r by the General Assembly, "as an encouragement to the people to discover the villainies of their slaves." True to his military instincts, Governor Reynolds apparently was more concerned in regard fo the defenses of the province than about any other matters connected with its civil administration and commercial de velopment. The population of Georgia aggregated scarcely sixty-four hundred souls Of these, seven hundred and fifty- six, capable of bearing arms, were enrolled in the militia and officered. Badly equipped, arid organized into eight companies, they were drilled six times each year. Widely separated, their concentration on an emergency was quite diffi cult. There was not a fortification in the colony which could be regarded as being in even a tolerable condition. In Savannah eleven old cannon

GOVERNOR REYNOLDS' ADMINISTRATION.

157

— three and four-pounders — without carriages, twenty- seven antiquated swivel guns, and sixty-one dilapidated muskets, — "most of them with broken stocks and many without locks," — constituted the entire show of armament The fort in the town was rotting down, and that on Cock* spur island was in no better plight. Summoning to his assistance John Gerar William DeBrahm — one oi the royal surveyors and a captain of engineers of high repute — Governor Reynolds matured, and, on the 5th of January, 1756, submitted an elab orate "Representation of the Forts and Garrisons necessary for the de fence of Georgia." In it the following provision was made with regard to Savannah : " Cockspur is to be a Triangular Fort, i. e. three Poligons, a. 132 feet, with three Semi Bastions or a Block Housfc with a Redoubt of 4 Poligo'ns, each ioo feet, without any Bastion, being only to defend the Mouth of Savannah River. ARTILLERY.
6 24 3 12 2 9 2 8
2 10

1 8 Pounders'1 Pounders If- r Pounders CannonPounders]

Pounders. Haubices.

'5 ...... The Garrison is . . The Reinforcement 70 men . ,.

30 Regulars.

.

too

• " Savannah is to be a Square, i e. four Poligons, each 448 feet, with four Bastions, 3 upon the Bluff to command the Town, and one below the Bluff: besides a Battery upon the Bluff to command the River, be ing only a Citidel to command both the River and Town. ARTILLERY.
Pounders ) 8 24 1 8 « Pounders >• Cannon. 4 12 10 i, 2, 3, 8, 9 Pounders ) Haubices. 2 12 10 Mortars. 2 ioo 50
. . . '. ...

_,

The Garrison is

26

1 50 Regulars.

The Reinforcement 300 Men .

.

.

.;,

450"

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.
This expensive project of the governor did net receive the sanction of the commissioners of Trade and Plantations, and the defenses of Geor gia remained in a deplorable condition. Fortunately their protective powers were not called into requisition. The administration of Governor Reynolds was arbitrary, partial, and provocative of unrest. That of his successor, Mr. Ellis, presented a most fortunate and pleasing contrast. Among those, who, in an organized capacity, tendered a cordial welcome upon his arrival in Savannah on the l6th of February, 1757, to assume the reins of government, was a band of school boys associated together as a military company. Having paraded before his excellency and secured his commendation of their soldiery ap pearance and well executed" manreuvres, these boys, through their cap tain, presented the following address : " SIR. —The youngest militia of this Province presume, by their cap tain, to salute your Honour on your arrival. Although we are of too tender years to comprehend the blessing a good governor is to a pro vince, our parents will doubtless experience it in its utmost extent, and their grateful tale shall fix your name dear in our memories." This episode Governor Ellis cherished among the most pleasing inci dents connected with his early sojourn in the colony. He found the colonists dissatisfied, discontented, and provoked at the manner in which the affairs of the plantation had been recently adminis tered. They clamored for changes in the case of not a few of tb£^nTceholders, and cited acts of omission and of commission by public servants which merited condemnation. His conduct under the circumstances, .calm, conservative, self-reliant, deliberate, dispassionate, and statesman like, soon created an effect most beneficial -"" The tool of no faction, the instrument ef no party, he sought only the public good. The colonists quickly recognized his merit, his impartiality, his integrity, his zeal for the common weal, and accorded tp him a place high in their respect and affection. During the administration of Governor EHis harmony and good will obtained between the executive and the houses constituting the General Assembly. Even the efforts of Little, who had so long disturbed the public tranquility, to poison the minds of some of the legislators and to excite a prejudice against the new chief magistrate, failed to engender any distrust or to cause a division in the sentiments of the assembly.

f
CHRIST CHURCH PARISH. 159

He had been unmasked. The day of his influence and power was over. Those Who had of late fattened by the favor of Governor Reynolds de serted the cause of the deposed chief magistrate, and Governor Ellis was soon able to report the " hydra faction which had long preyed upon the happiness of the people seems at present expiring." One of the most interesting acts passed by the Legislature during this administration was that dividing the several districts of the province into parishes, providing for the establishment fcf religious worship accord ing to the rites and ceremonies of the Church of England, and empow ering the churchwardens and Vestrymen of the respective parishes to assess rates for t^e repair of churches, the relief of the poor, and for other parochial services. This act was approved on the i/th of March, 1758. According to its provisions the "Town and District of Savannah extending up the Savannah River, and including the islands therein, as far as the southeast boundary of Goshen, from thence in a southwest line to the river Great Ogeechee, and from the town of Savannah eastward as far as the mouth of the river Savannah, including the sea islands to the mouth of the river Great Ogeechee, and all the settlements on tjie north side of the said river to the western boundaries thereof," consti tuted the parish of Christ Church. The church1 already erected in Savannah, and the ground appurte nant thereto used as a burial place were, in and by the act, designated
1 Christ church stands upon the identical lot first designated for ecclesiastical uses within the province of Georgia. The original structure was small and builded of wood. After various changes, and having suffered total demolition by fire in 1796, prior edifices were succeeded by the present religious temple which was completed and dedicated in 1840. The following is believed to be a correct list of the clergymen who ministered to the worshippers at Christ church during the eighteenth century: Rev. Dr. George Herbert, 1733; Rev. Samuel Quincy, 1733-1736; Rev. John Wesley, 1736-1737; Rev. George Whitefield, occasionally from 1738 to 1770; he was assisted by the Hon. James" Habersham as a reader, and by Rev. William Morris, 1739, Rev. Christopfier Orton, 1741-1742; Rev. Thomas Bosomworth, 1743-1745 ; Rev. Bartholomew ZqpbeFbuhler,1745-1765, and by Rev. Samuel Frink, 1767-1771. The Rev. Mr. Metcalf was appoint ed rector in 1740, but he did not enter upon his labors. Then followed : Rep. Timothy Lowton, 1771-1773; Rev. Haddon Smith, 1774-1775; Rev. Edward Jenkins, 1779-1782; Rev. Mr. Lucas, 1785 ; Rev. Mr. Nixon, 1786-1788 ; Rev. Benjamin Lindsay, 1788-1791; Rev. Edward Ellington,'1792-1795, and Rev. Dr. Best, 1796. During Dr. Best's in cumbency the church edifice was consumed by fire ; and, until the installation of the Rev. Dr. Theodore B. Barton in 1811, religious ministrations were quite irregular.

160

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

as the Parish Church and Cemetery of Christ Church. It was further provided that "Bartholomew Zouberbuhler, clerk, the present minister of Savannah, shall be the rector and incumbent of the said Christ Church, and he is hereby incorporated and made one body politick and corporate by the name of the rector of Christ Church in the town of Savannah; and shall be and he is hereby enabled to sue and be sued by such name in all Courts within this Province, and shall have the cure of souls within the said Parish, and shall be in the actual possession of the said Church with its cemetery and appurtenances, and shall hold and enjoy the same to him and his successors, together with the glebe land already granted to him, and the messuage or tenement near to the said Church, with all and singular the buildings and appurtenances thereunto belonging; and also all other lands, tenements, and hereditaments as shall or may here after be given and granted to the said Church, or the incumbent there of." For the purpose of keeping church edifices in repair, for the care of the respective cemeteries, sacred utensils and ornaments, to provide bread and wine for the Holy Eucharist, to pay the salaries of clerk and sexton, and to make provision for the poor and the impotent of the sev eral parishes, the rector, churchwardens, and vestrymen were author ized to levy a tax on the estate, real and personal, of all the inhabitants within the respective parishes sufficient to yield in the parishes of Christ Church and St Paul £30 each, and in the parishes where no churches had been as yet erected £10 each. The method of assessing and collect ing this tax is distinctly pointed out With the rector, churchwardens, and vestrymen rested the power of appointing sextons, and of fixing their salaries and fees. The rector was to form one of the vestry, and the churchwardens in each parish were directed to procure, at the charge of the parish, a well-bound paper or parchment book wherein the vestry clerk of the parish was to register the "births, christenings, marriages,'and burials of all and every person and persons that shall from time to time be born, christened, married, or buried within the said parish, under the penalty of five pounds sterling on failure thereof." For each entry the vestry clerk was entitled to re ceive, as a fee, one shilling sterling. These registers were to be adjudged and accepted in all courts of record in the province as furnishing suffi-

VESTRY REGULATIONS.

161

cicnt proof of the births, marriages, christenings, and burials therein mentioned; and if any party was convicted of wilfully making or caus ing to be made any false entry therein, or of maliciously erasing, alter ing, or defacing an entry, or of embezzling any entry or book of record, he was to be adjudged guilty of a felony, and to be punished with death without benefit of clergy. Each vestry was instructed to nominate a proper person to keep a record of its proceedings, and to act as the cus todian of its books and papers. No authority was conferred upon rectors to exercise any ecclesiastical jurisdiction or to administer ecclesiastical law. Such are the leading provisions of the act dividing Georgia into the parishes of Christ Church, Saint Matthew, Saint George, Saint Paul, Saint Philip, Saint John, Saint Andrew, and Saint James, and erecting churches in sympathy with the tenets of the established Church of Eng land. While the patronage of the Crown and of the Colonial Assembly was extended in this special manner in aid of churches professing the Episcopal faith, it .was not, as we conceive, designed to favor them by an exclusive recognition,- The idea appeared to be to accord to that denom ination within the limits of Georgia a prestige akin to that which the church of England enjoyed within the realm, to create certain offices for the encouragement of that religious persuasion and the extension of the gospel in accordance with its forms of worship and mode of government, and to provide a method by which faithful registers of births, marriages, christenings and deaths might be made and perpetuated. Numerous were the dissenters then in the province. They were represented by Presby terians, Lutherans, Congregationalists, Methodists, Baptists, and Hebrews. To all sects, save Papists, was free toleration accorded, and whenever a dis senting congregation organized and applied for a grant of land whereon to build a church, the petition did not pass unheeded. There can be no reasonable doubt, however, but that it was the intention of the govern ment, both royal and colonial, to engraft the Church of England upon the province, and, within certain limits, to advance its prosperity and in sure its permanency. At the same time allegiance to its rubrics was in no wise made a condition precedent to political preferment. J
1 On the l6th of January, 1756, by grant from his majesty. King George II.j a public lot in Savannah, known by the letter K, and situate in Decker ward, containing 60 feet 21

162

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

. At the hands of the General Assembly Savannah claimed and received much attention.. Among the acts passed may be mentioned one estab lishing a watch in that town; two regulating taverns, punch houses, and the sale of spirituous liquors; two more for the proper conduct of the market; a sixth establishing further rules for the conduct of Jhe watch; a seventh forbidding the erection of wooden chimneys; an eighth empow ering trustees to purchase a residence for the use of the present and future governors of the province; a ninth regulating the assize of bread; a tenth for the construction of a public magazine; an eleventh for the repair of Christ Church; and af twelfth for the general regulation of the town. Tybee light-house was not forgotten. Provision was made for the support of the courts of oyer and terminer, and for the defrayal of expenses con nected with the administration of the government. Masters of vessels were prevented from conveying debtors from the province, and frauds in lumber were pointed out and denounced. Nearly fifty acts passed by the general assemblies convened during Governor Ellis's administration received royal sanction. Their deliberations were characterized by hon' in front and 180 feet in depth, was conveyed to Jonathan Bryan, James Edward Powell, Robert Bolton, James Miller, Joseph Gibbons, William Gibbons, Benjamin Parley, Will iam Wright, David Fox, jr., and John Fox, " in trust nevertheless and to the intent and purpose that a Meeting-House, or place of Public Worship for the service of Almighty God, be thereupon erected and built for the use and benefit of such of our loving sutn jects now residing, or that may at any time hereafter reside within the District of Savan nah in our said Province of Georgia, as are or shall be professors of the doctrines of the Church of Scotland, agreeable to the Westminster Confession of Faith." Upon this designated lot, between Bryan. and St. Julian streets, facing west on Mar ket square, and extending east to Whitaker street, a brick church was erected. The first pastor, regularly installed, was the Rev. Dr. John J. Zubly, of St. Gall, Switzerland, a clergyman of education, public spirit, and ability. He ministered to the congregation until compelled, by reason of his political defection, to take his departure in 1778. During the occupation of Savannah by the British forces a chimney was erected in the middle "of this meeting-house, and the'structure was used as a hospital. After the war the Rev. Mr. Phillips supplied the pulpit until 1790, when he was suc ceeded by the Rev. Mr. Johnston who, for three years, performed the duties of pastor. Rev. Mr. MdCall became the clergyman in 1794. He died in 1796. This year wit nessed the destruction of the church edifice by fire, and until a new meeting-house was builded on St. James square, between York and President streets, the congregation wor shipped in the Baptist Church ; the Rev. Walter Monteith leading in such religious ser vices as were abserved during the years 1797 and 1798. Of the new church, which was a wooden structure, the Rev. Robert Smith was in-

WAR SHIP FITTED OUT.
esty of purpose, unity of sentiment, and laudable devotion to the best in terests of the colony. All dissensions had ceased, and the attitude main tained by this legislative body toward the governor was in all respects deferential and conciliatory. Under the wise, conservative, and gentle rule of Governor Ellis, Georgia was rapidly lifting herself above the shadows which gathered so darkly about her during the administration of Governor Reynolds, and was already entering upon that era of develop ment and prosperity which was so signally confirmed under the able guidance of Governor Wright. Although the king's vessels of war, with their headquarters at Charlestown, South Carolina, were ordered to guard the coast of Georgia, then infested with privateers, they responded only spasmodically and very in efficiently to this duty. They preferred rest in the harbor to active ex ercise at sea. Finding his remonstrances ineffectual to beget greater ac tivity on their part, Governor Ellis, on his own motion, fitted out a ship mounting a battery of fourteen carriage and an equal number of swivel
stalled pastor in 1800. Without pursuing the history of this congregation beyond the close of the eighteenth century, we may.be pardoned for adding that the corner-stone of the present Independent Presbyterian Church, at the corner of Bull and South Broad streets, was laid on the I3th of January, 1817, and that imposing structure, having inter mediately been completed, was, with appropriate ceremonies, dedicated ''To Jehovah, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost," under the pastoral care of the Rev. Henry Kollock, D.D., in May 1819. As early as 1759 a Lutheran Church was established in Savannah, but the congre gation was too feeble to support a pastor. In 1795 the Baptists, aided by Christians of other denominations, erected in Savan nah "a house of worship, 50 by 60 feet, with galleries and a steeple." Ebenezer Hills, John Millen, Thomas Polhill, John Hamilton, Thomas Harrison, and John H. Roberds were named as trustees. As no preacher was at hand to fill the pulpit, the edifice was. for several years, rented to the Presbyterians who had lost their church by fire. Under the pastorate of the Rev. Henry Holcombe, commencing in 1800, this congregation multiplied, and the church grew rapidly in religious fervor and influence. In 1788 a congregation of colored Baptists, consisting of sixty-nine members, was organized in Savannah under the joint pastorate of Andrew Bryan and Jesse Peters. In 1771 the Rev. Mr. Frink submitted the following estimate of the strength of the .several religious denominations in Savannah : Church of England....................................... 1,185 193 Lutherans.................................... ....;.... Presbyterians and Independents.......................... 499 49 Hebrews................................ ...............

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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH

guns, placed her under the command of experienced officers, and for six weeks kept her busily cruising up and down the Georgia coast. The effect was most wholesome both upon the enemy and the slothful marine guaM at Charlestown. The intrigues of-the French with the Indians dwelling beyond the northern borders of the provinces of Carolina and Georgia necessitated the adoption of unusual precautions to retain their friendship. At a con ference between Governors Ellis of Georgia and Lyttleton of South Caro lina and ColonelrBouquet, commanding the king's forces in the southern department, it was agreed that the Indians should be invited to Charlestown and afterwards to Savannah, where by hospitable entertainment, a liberal distribution of gifts, and an exhibition of military strength on the part of the colonists, the red warriors might be induced to refrain from violating their amicable relations. Influenced by the-earnest representa tions of Governor Ellis, Colonel Bouquet detailed one hundred troops of the Virginia Provincials to take post at Savannah, and placed the Georgia Rangers upon the king's establishment. The conference between the governor and council and the chiefs and head men of the Upper and Lower Creeks occurred at Savannah on the 2$th of October, 1757. Anxious to impress these savages with the high est possible conception of the military strength of the town, Governor Ellis ordered that they should be receive^ by the first regiment of militia, commanded by Colonel Noble Jones, that sixteen cannon should be mounted in the different batteries around Savannah,1 and that seven field pieces should be placed in position in front of his dwelling. As the In dians approached, escorted by Captain Milledge and the Rangers, they were met beyond the lines by Captain Bryan and a cavalcade of the prin cipal inhabitants, who welcomed them in the name of the governor and regaled them in a tent pitched for that purpose. This preliminary re ception concluded, preceded by the citizens on horseback, the Rangers bringing up the rear, the procession of Indians advanced to the town gate where salutation was made with three cannon from the King's battery, three from the Prince's, five from Fort Halifax, and five from Loudoun's bastions. Pausing at the gate, the citizens opened to the right and left, fac ing inwards, and the Indians, marching between them, entered the town,
1 This town had been fortified by Captain De Brahm.

I
CONVENTION WITH INDIANS.
where they were received by Colonel Jones at the head of the regiment, and conducted, with drums beating and colors flying, to the council cham ber. While passing the governor's residence the column was saluted by the battery there stationed, and this compliment was repeated by the guns in the water battery and by cannon on vessels in the river. At the council house the regiment filed to the right and left, and, in parallel lines facing the chiefs and warriors as they advanced, presented arms. At the steps of the council chamber they were saluted by the Virginia Blues; and upon entering the house they were met by the governor, who, with outstretched arms, welcomed them thus: "My friends and brothers, behold my hands and my arms! Our common Enemies, the French, have told you they are red to the elbows. View them. Do they speak the truth ? Let your own eyes witness. You see they are white, and could you see my heart, you would find it as pure, but very warm and true to you, my friends. The French tell you whoever shakes my hands will immediately be struck with disease and die. If you be lieve this lying, foolish talk, don't touch me. If you do not, I am ready to embrace you." This speech, so well adapted to the comprehension of the natives, and so much in unison with their favorite style of utterance, completely captiva ted their hearts. Approaching the governor they shook his Hand warmly, and declared that the French had often sought to deceive them. Friendly greetings followed, and the ceremonies of the day were concluded by a dinner at which the head men of the twenty-one towns represented were kindly and pleasantly entertained. During their stay in Savannah these red men were complimented with many presents, and were bountifully feasted. On the following Thursday, having been honored with another military parade and by martial salutes, they assembled in the council chamber, which was thronged to its utmost capacity by the citizensThere they were again addressed by Governor Ellis. "Observe, my friends," said he, "how serene and cloudless this day appears! I cannot but consider it as a good omen of the success of this interview; and I hope that you are all come with hearts resembling it, unclouded by jeal ousies, and with dispositions suitable to the good work of tightening the chain and making the path straight forever between us." He then read in their hearing, with great solemnity, a communication which he had

166

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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH. t

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prepared, entitled "A Letter from the Great King to his Beloved Children of the Creek Nation." Its conciliatory terms were pleasing to the In dians, and their response promised peace and amity. The result of this convention was all that could have been desired. It was shown in the treaty of the 3d of November following, by which friendly relations between the province of Georgia and the Creek confed eracy were firmly pledged. 1 Governor Eliis was seriously affected by the climate of Georgia. The potent rays of the summer sun he found very debilitating in their influence. In July, 1758, writing in his piazza, open at each end and completely shaded, with a breeze blowing from the southeast and no houses near to reflect the heat, he says Fahrenheit's thermometer registered 102°. Twice before, to wit, on the 28th of June and the nth of July, had the mercury attained that height, and for days it rose to 98°. That summer he regarded as unusually hot, and imagined that the weather betokened the advent of a hurricane. Savannah being situated upon a sandy eminence, shut in by tall woods, he thought the heat more intense than in other parts of the colony. Although he deemed it highly probable that the inhabitants of Savannah breathed " a hotter air than any other .peo ple on the face of the earth," he concludes with the admission, " but few people die here out of the ordinary course." 2 Captain McCall, in commenting upon this letter of Governor Ellis, comes thus loyally and truthfully to the rescue: "As Governor Ellis was a man of sense and erudition, and no doubt made his observations with accuracy, I shall not presume to call in question the facts which he re lates, but I feel bound to assert, under the authority of the oldest inhab itants now living in Savannah, that there have been but few instances in which the mercury has risen above 96°, and none in which it has risen above 100° in the shade within the last thirty years. The trade winds prevail on the sea coast of Georgia with great uniformity in the summer, particularly on the southern part of it; and it is not unworthy of remark that I resided at Point Peter, near the mouth of St. Mary's River, eighteen months, and the garrison consisted of near one hundred troops, and that
1 See >AST Minutes of Council. Stevens's History of Georgia, vol. i., pp. 440-443. New York. MDCCCXLVII. 1 See Gentleman's Magazine for 1759, "p. 314.

HEALTH OF SAVANNAH.

167

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I do not recollect, after the first fortnight, to have seen three men in bed with the fever, and only one died during that period, and his disease was a consumption. Indeed the seashore is healthy, except in the vicinity of stagnant fresh water. ... " I have annexed these remarks because Governor Ellis asserts that the maritime parts of Georgia are the most unhealthy and unpleasant." 1 Beyond controversy, during the period of its early occupancy when it was closely fenced about by forests forbidding a free circulation of air, when little attention was bestowed upon drainage, when the inhabitants were in large measure unacclimated, and when alluvial lands, dank and reeking with the decayed vegetable mould of unnumbered centuries, were first exposed to the actien of the sun's rays, the health of Savannah was much inferior to that which it now enjoys, and the temperature un questionably more intolerable. With the exception of occasional epi demics, this city, under existing sanitary regulations, despite the fact that it dwells in a malarial region, must be regarded as not unhealthy; and no one familiar with the delightful influences of the southeast breezes which, during the hot months, prevail with the regularity of trade-winds, will deny that many climatic pleasures are here enjoyed, even in the heart of summer. Governor Ellis's health became so feeble that,'in November, 1759, he solicited a recall. His hope was that his successor would be speedily selected, and that i* he would avoid the debilitating influences of another warm season in Georgia. Although his request was granted, and James Wright, esq. wai commissioned as lieutenant-governor of the province on the 13th of May, 1760, he did not arrive in the colony to relieve Gov ernor Ellis until the following October. Upon the expiration of his official duties the province of Georgia pos sessed a population of some six thousand whites and three thousand five ^ hundred and seventy-eight blacks. Having turned over the affairs of State to his successor, the Honor able James Wright, Governor Ellis departed from Georgia on the 2d of November, 1760. The address of the assembly expressed the general
1 History of Georgia, vol. i., p. 254. Savannah. 1811. Compare Historical Ac count of the Rise and Progress of the Colonies of South Carolina and Georgia, voL it, pp. 258, 259. London. MDCCLXXIX.

168

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

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regret The inhabitants of the province were deeply moved at the re tirement of the governor whose kind and paternal administration, whose honesty of purpose and unwearied exertions for the advancement of the welfare of the colony, whose integrity and personal worth had produced the most favorable impression upon all. The Georgia Society, the mer chants of Savannah, the citizens of Augusta, and others presented him with affectionate and complimentary addresses, regretting his departure, extolling his administration of public affairs, commending his character, and praying for his welfare. As a token of the gratitude entertained by the citizens of Savannah, the Union Society requested his acceptance of a handsome piece of plate. 1 Few were the regrets which accompanied Governor Reynolds when he bade farewelf to distracted and unhappy Georgia; but now the good will and the blessings of a sorrowing people clustered about their retiring chief magistrate. The apple of discord had been supplanted by the olive of peace. Happy in the confidence and the love of those over whom he ruled, fortunate and just in his intercourse with the Indian nations, successful in the conduct of the affairs of the colony, and secure in the es teem of the home government, pleasant and honorable is the memory which Governor Ellis has bequeathed to the colonial annals of Georgia. Subsequently commissioned as governor of Nova Scotia, he occupied that position for two years and a half. Warned by feeble health, he dismissed all public cares and sought repose in the south of France. Finally, having attained a venerable age, and to the last intent upon the prosecution of some favorite physical researches, he fell on sleep, as did Pliny the elder, within sight of Vesuvius and upon the shore of the beauti ful Bay of Naples.
iSee Stevens's ffistory of Georgia, vol. i., p. 456. New York. MDCCCXLVll.

GOVERNOR JAMES WRIGHT.

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CHAPTER XIII.

Governor James Wright — His Admirable Qualifications for Office — Population and Military Strength of the Province— Occupations of the Colonists— Condition of Savan nah — Fortifications of the Town — Construction of its Wharves — Health of Savannah — Four Additional Parishes Created — Improvement in the Condition of Affairs — Repre sentation in the Provincial Assembly— Improper Conduct of Chief Justice Grover.

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selection of James Wright, esq., to succeed Mr. Ellis as governor j^ of Georgia was in every respect wise, appropriate, and acceptable. Born in South Carolina, — the son of a chief-justice of that colony, and having himself for twenty-one years filled the office of attorney- general of that province, — he was not only loyal to the traditions of an ancient and honorable English family and unswerving in his allegiance to the British Crown, but thoroughly acquainted with the sentiments, indus tries, and needs of the Southern plantations. Possessing ample means, a Htjfcral education, and a practical knowledge of the best method of cul tivating the lands of this marish region, trained to the legal profession, of excellent business habits, familar with the conduct of colonial affairs, with an honesty of purpose and a courageous conception of duty which neither threats nor the offers of personal advantage could influence, and of unquestioned probity, he was admirably qualified for the discharge of the responsibilities appertaining to the gubernatorial office. Although assuming the reins of government in the sunlight of peace, he was destined to encounter the storms of the Revolution, and, in a brave adherence to the cause of his royal master, suffer arrest, banish ment from the colony, mortification, and loss. It was his lot to preside at an epoch full of doubt and trouble During his administration the political ties which united Georgia to the mother country were violently sundered, and a union of American colonies was formed which in after years developed into a republic than which thefk now exists no more puissant government in the sisterhood of nations. Throughout his offi cial career, despite the difficulties which environed, he was at all times faithful to his trust, courageous in the performance of his duties, wise in the administration of governmental affairs, and sagacious in his political views and suggestions. The more closely it is scanned and the more in22

170

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

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telligently it is comprehended, the more praiseworthy, from a loyal standpoint, appears his conduct Georgia may well be proud of the ca pabilities and reputation of the third and last of her royal governors. Through the conciliatory and prudent course adopted by Governor Ellis the province had escaped collision with the Indian nations, and avoided participation in the controversy between the Virginians and the Carolinians on the one hand and the Cherokees on the oth'er, which cul minated in bloodshed and ruin. .At the inception of Governor Wright's administration, the white population .of Georgia amounted to barely six thousand souls, and there were three thousand five hundred and seventy-eight negro slaves owned and employed within/' the province. The military force of the colony consisted of sixty men belonging to his majesty's independent companies, two troops of rangers, numbering each five officers and seventy privates, and the militia,— organized as infantry,— and aggregating one thousand and twenty-five. But thirty-four hundred pounds of rice had been ex ported in 1760, and the entire commerce of the colony was conducted by forty-two vessels, most of them of light burthen. While some of the poorer members of the community wove a coarse home-spun cloth, and knit cotton and woolen stockings for their own use, all silks, linens, and woolens were imported. There were some tanners and shoemakers, and of blacksmiths there was no lack All articles of iron,"fictile ware, and ornamental furniture came from abroad, and chiefly from England. Occasionally a Snow, a brigantine, or a schooner was built, and saw-mills of primitive construction and limited capacity were scattered here and there throughout the land. . The c^jkiVStion of rice was beginning to attract attention, but the energies of the colonists were expended upon planting corn, pease, wheat, and rye, in making pitch,«tar, and turpentine, in riving shingles and staves, in sawing lumber, and in raising cattle, mules, horses, hogs, and sheep. * The town of Savannah at this time contained between three and four hundred houses, nearly all of them small and builded of wood. The most imposing structures were Christ Church, an Independent meeting-house, a council-house, a court house, and a filature. Using the present names of the streets, Savannah was then bounded on the north by the Bay, on the east by Lincoln street, on the south by South Broad street, and on the west

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FORTIFICATIONS.
by Jefferson street Its extreme length from east to west was two thou sand one hundred and fifteen feet, and it extended from north to south one thousand four hundred and twenty-five feet Six squares, or Market places, were included within these limits. Outside these boundaries were scattering settlements. After a pleasant interchange of courtesies between the governor and the council, and the General Assembly, attention was bestowed upon the completion of the fortifications of Savannah. It had been "proposed with a well palisadoed intrenchment to envelop the city so as to make it a re ceptacle and shelter for all the planters, their families, slaves, etc.," and considerable progress had been made in this labor which was mapped out arid supervised by Captain DeBrahm. Properly environed on the south, the east, and the west, and being open to the north where the river afforded facile communication with South Carolina, whence, upon an emergency, supplies of food and ammunition could be obtained, the In dians, it was thought, would never be able to do more than burn the dwellings in the circumjacent country, and kill such cattle and .steal such horses as might be left upon the plantations. Their families being secure within the intrenchments of Savannah, where they would be supplied with requisite stores and could enjoy the protection of the governor and council, the male inhabitants would be free to operate in the field and de vote their energies to the expulsion of the marauders. Savannah,—the commercial metropolis and capital of Georgia,—was thus to be rendered the walled-town and place of security for the region in seasons of peril. DeBrahm's system o£ fortification embraced "two Poligons with three3 Bastions" for the protection of the southern exposure of the town. "With four Poligons more (two pn the east and two others on the west side of the city, each ending with a demi-Bastion)"—the eastern and western in trenchments terminating northwardly at the river,—he proposed to com plete the environment of the town. The soil of Savannah being very sandy, in order to preserve the breastwork the outside talus was faced with pine logs set in the ground. Wooden towers were erected in the cor ner bastions, with strong platforms in their first stories to support twelvepounder cannons. These fortifications were in an incomplete condition when Governor Wright assumed the reins of government That they might be finished at the earliest practicable moment, the Governor, James

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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

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DeVeaux, Lewis Johnson, William Francis, Joseph Gibbons, James Read, and Edmund Tannatt were nominated by the Commons House of As sembly as a supervising committee. To this board were added from the Upper House, the Honorable James Habersham, Colonel Noble Jones1, James Edward Powell, and William Knox. The work progressed rap idly, and Savannah soon afforded within its intrenchments an asylum whither the adjacent planters, upon occasions of alarm, might betake themselves with -their families and personal property, and find refuge from the rifle and scalping-knife of the Indian. Governor Wright discountenanced the project, which had been favorbly entertained by his predecessors, of transferring^the seat of govern ment from Savannah to Hardwicke. In this he acted most wisely. Pend ing the question of removal, Savannah had suffered much. Her public buildings had been neglected, and her citizens, ignorant of the future, grew careless of their homes. As soon, however, as it was definitely as certained that the little city of Oglethorpe was to remain the capital and commercial metropolis of the province, a new impulse was imparted which conduced most materially to the general prosperity and encourageme'nt of the town. The light- house on Tybee Island was repaired, a lazaretto was estab lished, and the wharves along the Savannah River were rendered convenient and permanent. These wharves were constructed upon a plan furnished by DeBrahm to Thomas Eaton in 1759. His suggestion was "to drive two rows of Piles as far asunder as he desired his Wharf to be wide, and as far towards the River as low Water Mark; secure their tops with plates, and to trunnel Planks within on the Piles; this done, then to brace the insides with dry Walls of Stones intermixed with willow Twigs, and in the same manner to shut up the Ends of the two Rows with a like Front along the Stream; to build inside what Cellars he had occasion for; then to fill up the Remainder with Sand nearest at hand out of the Bluff or high shore of the Stream under the Bay." 1 This method was adopted and observed for many years. It was aban doned only when heavy freights and larger vessels rendered the con^ struction of more substantial landing-places a matter of commercial ne cessity.
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of the Province of Georgia, etc., p. 45.

Wormsloe.

MDCCCXLIX.

GENERAL IMPROVEMENTS.

173

For nearly thirty years after its settlement, Savannah was re'garded as a healthy town. Thither did the rice planters from the adjacent low-,, lands in South Carolina resort during the summer and autumn of the year that they might escape the fevers incident to the swamps. The dense forests growing upon Hutchinspn's Island and in the low groOnds to the east and west of the town'shielded it from the noxious vapors and malarial influences of the fields beyond, which were cultivated in rice. So soon, however, as these trees were felled, and the regions they form erly covered were converted into rice plantations, the miasmatic exhala tions thence arising were, by north and east winds, rolled in upon the town to the prejudice of the health of its inhabitants. 1 At a later period it was found necessary to guard Savannah against the unwholesome effects to which we have alluded, by the rigid enforcement of a dry-culture sys tem within specified limits. So tardy was the communication between the colony and the mother country that intelligence of the demise of his majesty George II. was not received in Savannah until February, 1761. The assembly was there upon immediately dissolved and writs of election were issued for a new assembly to convene on the 24th of the following March. Funeral honors were rendered to his late majesty, and George III. was saluted as king with all the pomp and ceremony of which the prov ince was capable. Then for the first and only time was a king proclaimed upon Georgia soil. Out of the lands lying between the rivers Alatamaha and St. Mary which, by royal proclamation dated at St. James on the 7th of October, 1763, his majesty King George III. was pleased to annex to the province of Georgia, four additional parishes were laid off, viz.: St. David, St. Patrick, St. Thomas, and St. Mary. No longer plagued by the French and Spaniards, at peace with the circumjacent Indian nations, her bound- . aries widened and guarded on the south and west by two new English plantations erected in Florida, — Georgia now occupied a position of se curity never before enjoyed. With an increasing population and an ex panding commerce, and presided over by a chief magistrate eager for the promotion of its best interests, the province day by day rose in impor1 See DeBrahm's History of the Province of Georgia, etc., pp. 47, 48. MDCCCXLIX. , Wormsloe.

X

174

HISTORY of SAVANNAH.

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tance, and was fast realizing the expectations which its illustrious founder had conceived for it. Christ Church Parish now had the following rep resentation: From Savannah: Joseph Ottolenghe, Grey Elliott, Lewis Johnson, and Joseph Gibbons. From Acton : William Gibbons. 4 From Vernonburg: Edmund Tannatt. From, the Sea Islands: Henry Yonge, and From Little Ogeechee: James Read. Alluding to the condition of Georgia at this epoch Captain McCall1 says: "No province on the continent felt the happy effects of this public security sooner than Georgia which mra long struggled under many dif ficulties arising from the want of credit from friends, and the frequent molestations of enemies. During the late war the government had been given to a man who wanted neither wisdom to discern nor resolution to pursue the most effectual means for its improvement. While he proved a father to the people and governed the province with equity and justice, he discovered at the same time thfc excellence of its low-lands and river swamps, by the proper management and diligent cultivation of which he acquired in a few years a plentiful fortune. His example and success gave vigor to industry and promoted a spirit of emulation among the planters for improvement. The rich lands were sought for with zeal and cleared with that ardor which the prospect df riches naturally inspired. The British merchants, observing the province safe and advancing to a hopeful and promising state, were no longer backward in extending credit to it, but supplied it with negroes, and goods of British manufacture with equal freedom as other provinces on the' continent. The planters. nt> sooner got the strength of Africa to assist them than they labored with success, and^the lands every yeaf yielded greater and greater increase. The trade of the provincefkept pace* with its progress in cultivation. The rich swamps attracted the attention not only of strangers but even of the planters of Carolina who had been accustomeld to treat their.poor neigh bors with the utmost contempt.; several of whom sold their estates in that colony and removed with their families and effects to Georgia. Many 'settlements were made by the Caralinians about Sunbury and upon the
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Savannah. ' 1811.

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IMPROPER CONDUCT OF CHIEF JUSTICE GROVER.
Alatamaha. The price of produce at Savannah increased as the quality improved,—a circumstance which contributed much to the prosperity of the country. The planters situated on the opposite side of Savannah River found in the capital of Georgia a convenient and excellent market for their staple commodities. In short, from this period the rice, indigo, and naval stores arrived at the markets in Europe of equal excellence and perfection and, in proportion to its strength, in equal quantities with those A of its more powerful and opulent neighbors." So rapid had been the development of the Midway District, and such importance had the town of Sunbury attained, that in September, 1762, Governor Wright, 1 with the assent of council, constituted it a port of en try, and appointed Thomas Carr, collector; John Martin, naval officer; and Francis Lee, searcher. Much attention was bestowed upon the public roads of the province, upon thje maintenance of ferries at important points, and upon establish ing easy\communication, by direct lines, between the principal towns. To Captain^DeBrahm is great credit due for the intelligence and industry» exhibited in the location and construction of these highways. As late as December, 1764, the road from Charlestown to Savannah terminated at Purrysburg, whence the conveyance was down the river by boats Soon afterwards, however, a new highway was opened which rested upon the Savannah River less than two miles below the town of Savannah, and there a ferry was established which greatly facilitated travel and the trans mission of postal matter. 2 One of the earliest annoyances experienced by Governor Wright in the administration of the affairs of the colony arose from the extraordi nary conduct of "William Grover. He was the chief justice of this province and perverted his office, ignoring its responsibilities, disregard ing its obligations, prostituting its functions, and proving recreant to its trusts. When held to account for his maladministration, he grew insub ordinate and even went so far as to publish a scandalous libel upon.the governor. Prompt action on the part of the Executive and the general assembly resulted in a suspension of the chief justice from office.
1 See Letter to the Earl of Halifax, dated Savannah 8th of December, 1763. * * See Letter of Governor Wright to the Earl of Halifax, dated Savannah in Geor gia, 24th Dec., 1764.

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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

CHAPTER XIV.
Stamp Act of 1765. — Profound Impression Created in Savannah — Convention of the 2d of September—Governor Wright's Letters of the 3151 of January and the 7th of February, 1776— Declaration of Rights— Stamps Issued in Savannah — Joy upon the Repeal of the Act.

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passage by both houses of Parliament, in the teeth of all proJ^ tests entered by the agents of the Colonies, of the Stamp Act of 1765, produced a profound impression in Savannah. Being a commer cial town, its inhabitants were most nearly concerned in the practical op eration of this legislation which evoked the unqualified denunciation of the impassioned Barre' and his friends; encountered the opposition of the eloquent Otis, elicited from the calm Habersham the emphatic rejoin der— " it is an insi.lt on the most common understanding to talk of our being virtuattp represented in Parliament," —banded .the " Sons of Lib erty " into zaibciations all over the land", intent upon retaliation or re dress, —and touched in Virginia that alarum bell which "gave the signal for the continent." Upon receipt of the circular letter forwarded by the general Assem bly of Massachusetts, soliciting the formation of a congress to assemble in New York in October, 1765, Mr. W^ly, speaker of the Commons House of Assembly of Georgia, issued a call to the members, request ing a convention at Savannah at an early day. Sixteen members re sponded, and on the 2d of September came together at the place named. Through the strenuous influence of Governor Wright they were pevailed upon not to send delegates to the proposed congress. They did, never theless, prepare and transmit a response to the Massachusetts invitation, intimating their readiness to cooperate heartily in every measure devised for the support and protection of the common rights of the colonies. So satisfied was the governor with his loyal exertions and with the apparent tranquillity of the province that as late as the 2Oth of Septem ber he informed the Earl of Halifax that everything was well and doing well. Far otherwise was the tenor of his communication addressed to Mr. Secretary Conway on the 3 1st of January, 1766:

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" SIR,—Yesterday I had the honour to receive the duplicates of your Excellency's letter of the 24th of October, and it is with the utmost con cern that I am to acquaint your Excellency that the same spirit of se dition, or rather rebellion, which first appeared at Boston has reached this Province, and I have for three months past been continually rea soning and talking with the most dispassionate and sensible people in order to convince them of the propriety of an acquiescence, and sub mission to the King's authority and that of the British Parliament, until they could point out their grievances, if any, and apply for redress in a constitutional way. I have also Sir, pointed out the dangerous conse quences, distresses, and misery they must inevitably bring upon them selves by following the example of the Northern Colonies. This I have done in the strongest and most striking point of view I could place it in, and exactly agreeable to the sense and spirit of your Excellency's letter I had the honor to receive yesterday. At other times I have had re course to such little force as is in my power, and have in some measure preserved and supported his Majesty's authority and prevented the Stamp papers from being destroyed; but Sir, I must at the same time declare that I have had the great mortification to see the reins of gov ernment nearly wrested out of my hands, his Majesty's, authority in sulted, and the civil power obstructed. But that your Excellency may be more clearly enabled to judge of the true state of affairs in this Prov ince, and to lay the same before his Majesty, I humbly beg leave to state a brief narrative of some transactions here, and which I from time to time have acquainted the Lords of Trade with. " On the 26th of October, the day of his Majesty's accession, I had ordered a general Muster: and in the evening, a little after night, there was a very great tumult in the streets, and some effigies burnt, and a day or two after several incendiary threatening letters were wrote on which I issued a proclamation as your Excellency will see by the en closed newspaper. I also issued another proclamation against riots and tumultuous and unlawful assemblies, and from that time the spirit of faction and sedition took place and increased, and those persons who falsely call themselves the Sons of Liberty began to' have private cabals and meetings, and I was informed that many had signed an Association to oppose and prevent the distribution of Stamped papers, and the act 23

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.
from taking effect. But it was impossible to come at such proof as would enable me to support any legal proceedings against them, and I found they had determined on attacking the distributor as soon as he ar rived, and compelling him to resign or promise not to act, as had been done in the Northern Colonies. I had also been informed that they in tended to seize upon and destroy the papers whenever they should come. In the mean time Sir, every argument I could suggest was used to con vince them of the rashness of such attempts and the dangerous conse quences that must attend them, and every method, both public and pri vate, was pursued by me to bring them to a right way of thinking, and which I frequently thought I had effected, and am sure I should have done but for the inflammatory papers, letters, and messages continually sent to the people here from the Liberty Boys, as they call themselves, in Charlestown, South Carolina, and by whom I am very clear all our disturbances and difficulties have been occasioned. "And thus matters rested Sir, till the 5th of December, when his Majesty's ship Speedwell arrived here with the stamped papers on board. I had used every precaution necessary to prevent either papers or officers trom falling into the hands of those people, which they were not ignorant of. And when it was known that the Speedwell was in the river with the papers, several of the principal inhabitants came to me and gave me the strongest assurances possible that there was then no'in-, tentiofi to seize upon or destroy the papers. And they were landed without any appearance of tumult and lodged in the King's store or se under the care of the Commissary. But notwithstanding assurances with respect to the papers, I still found there was a design against the Officer. "From the 5th of November everything remained pretty quiet, but I found cabals were frequently held and inflammatory letters sent from Charlestown, and on the 2d of January, about 3 in the afternoon, I was informed that the Liberty Boys in town had assembled together to the number of about 200 and were gathering fast, and that some of them had declared they were determined to go to the Fort and break open the Store and take out the stamped papers and destroy them ; on which 1 immediately ordered the officers to get their men together, but appear ances and threats were such that in three days I had not less than 40

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179

men on duty every night to protect the papers, or I am confident they would have been destroyed. " On the jd of January Mr. Angus, the distributor for this Province, arrived, of which I had the earliest notice in consequence of measures concerted for that purpose, and immediately sent the scout boat with an officer and a party of men to protect him and suffer no body to speak to him, but conduct him safely to my house, which was done the next day at noon when he took the State oaths and oath of office, and I had the papers distributed and lodged in all the different offices relative to the shipping and opening our ports, which had been shut for some time. But here the people in general have agreed not to apply for any other papers till his Majesty's pleasure be known on the petitions sent from the Colonies. I kept the Officer in my house for a fortnight, after which he went into the Country, to avoid the resentment of the people for awhile. No pains have been spared in the Northern Colonies to spirit up and inflame the people, and a spirit of faction and sedition was stirred up throughout the Province, and parties of armed men actually as sembled themselves together and were preparing to do so in different parts, but fay sending expresses with letters to many of the most pru dent I had the satisfaction to find that my weight and credit was suffi cient to check all commotions and disturbances in the Country at that time, and everything was quiet again and remained so till a few days ago when some incendiaries from Charlestown cajoe full fraught with sedition and rebellion, and have been about the Country and inflamed the people to such a degree that "they were again assembling, together in all parts of the province and, to the number of about 600, were to have come here on yesterday, all armed, and these people, as I have been in formed, were to have surrounded my house and endeavoured to extort a promise from me that no papers should be issued till his Majesty's pleas ure be known on the petitions sent home, and if I did not immediately comply, they were to seize upon and destroy the papers and commit many acts of violence against the persons and property of those gentle men that have declared themselves friends of Government. On this last alarm I thought it advisable to remove the papers to a place of greater security, and accordingly ordered them to be carried to Fort George, on Cockspur Island, where they are protected by a Captain, two Subal terns, and fifty private men of the Rangers.

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" But I have the satisfaction to inform your Excellency that I have, with the assistance of some well disposed Gentlemen, taken off and got a great many dispersed who were actually on their way down here, but many are still under arms and I can't yet say how the affair will end. " This Sir, is a wretched situation to be in, and it's clear that further force is necessary to support his Majesty's authority from insults, and reduce the people to obedience to the civil power. My task is rendered much more difficult by the people in the next Province going the lengths they have done, and to this day do, and it's said, and I believe it may be true, (although Sir, I will not aver it for a-fact), that the Carolinians have offered to assist the people here with 500 men to prosecute their vile attempts. " Upon the whole Sir, there is still a possibility of bringing the people lo reason and restoring the peace and tranquillity of the Province, on which, your Excellency so justly observes, their welfare and happiness depend. A few days will determine this point, and if not, then, agree able to your Excellency's letter, I shall write to General Gage and Lord Colvile for assistance. I have only to add that notwithstanding every threat and attempt, your Excellency may be assured I will firmly perse vere to the utmost of my power in the faithful discharge of my duty to his Majesty; but really Sir, such of the King's Servants in America as are firm in their opposition to the present seditious spirit have a very uncomfortable time of it. "The whole military force in this Province, Sir, is two troops of Rangers, consisting in the whole of 120 effective men, which occupy 5 forts or posts in different parts of the Province, and 30 of the Royal Americans,—20 of them at fort Augusta 150 miles from hence, and 10 at Frederica about the same distance. And on the first appearance of faction and sedition I ordered in some of the Rangers from each post and made up the number here at Savannah 56 privates and 8 officers, with which, and the assistance of such gentlemen as were of a right way of thinking, I have been able in some measure to support his Majesty's authority, but I have been obliged to send two officers and 35 of those men with the papers to Fort George." On the /th of February Governor Wright acquaints Secretary Conway with what had further transpired in the colony in relation to the contemplated enforcement of the Stamp Act:

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GOVERNOR WRIGHT'S COMMUNICATION. 181

" On the 2nd inst I had the pleasure to hear of the arrival of his Majesty's ship Speedwell\ Capt Fanshawe, who had promised me when he went from hence, after bringing the papers, that he would return again soon. I assure your Excellency he came at a very reasonable time, as by his taking the papers on board the King's ship I was enabled to order up the Officers and Rangers to town, and then mustered 70 Officers and men. Capt. Fanshawe brought his ship up, and several gentlemen and others also promised to join me if the Villains should come into town. For notwithstanding I had been able to dispose of a great number, yet two hundred and forty of them were within 3 miles, and, being much exasperated against me for sending the papers away, agreed to Come to me and demand that I would order the papers to be delivered up to them, and if I did not, they were to shoot me. This Sir, was avowedly declared by some of them; and on Thursday, the 4th instant, they ac tually had the insolence to appear at the Town Common with their arms and colours, but finding I had near 100 men I could command and de pend upon, and being told that many would join me as volunteers, after staying about 3 hours I was informed they differed among themselves and began to disperse, and I have now the great satisfaction to acquaint your Excellency that they are all dispersed ; but Sir, some of them de clared they were offered the assistance of from 4 to 500 men from Car olina, and if they came, would be ready to return again. If none come from thence I hope to remain quiet. I shall see some of the most dis passionate people and of the most considerable property amongst them, and endeavour to restore the peace of the Province, but even if I suc ceed in this so far as to obtain promises of submission, yet Sir, some troops will nevertheless be absolutely necessary, for I fear I cannot have entire confidence in the people for some time, and your Excellency sees the insults his Majesty's authority has received, and which I am still liable to. Possibly your Excellency may be surprized that I have not mentioned calling out the militia, but I have too much reason to think I should have armed more against me than for me, and that volunteers were the only people I could have any confidence in or dependence j , upon." Led by the fearless Gadsden, the eloquent Rutledge, and the patririotic Lynch, the delegates from South Carolina were the first to respond

182

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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

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to the call for an American congress. During its session in New York they gave shape to its deliberations a^id moulded its conclusions. So potent! was their influence at home that upon their return to Charles* town the General Assembly of South Carolina, on the 2Qth of Novem ber, 1765, was moved to the adoption of a series of resolutions entirely in unison With those promulgated by the congress. In them it was de clared that his majesty's subjects in the province of Carolina owed the -- same allegiance to the Crown of Great Britain that was due from his subjects there born ; that they were entitled to all the inherent rights and liberties of natural born subjects ; that it was inseparably essential to the freedom of a people and the undoubted right of Englishmen that no taxes should be imposed on them but with their own consent given personally or by their representatives; that the people of Carolina from their local circumstances could not be represented in the House of Com mons of Great Britain, and that the several powers of legislation in America were constituted in some measure upon the apprehension of this impracticability; that the only representatives of the people of the province were persons chosen therein by themselves, and that no taxes ever had been or ever could be constitutionally imposed on them but by the legislature of the province ; that all supplies to the Crown being the free gifts of the people, it was unreasonable and inconsistent with the . principles and spirit of the British constitution for the people of Great Britain to grant to his majesty the property of the people €>F Carolina ; that the trial by jury was the inherent and valuable right of every Brit ish subject In the province ; that the late act of Parliament entitled " An Act for granting and applying certain stamp duties and other duties ot the British Colonies and Plantations in America," etc., by imposing taxes on the inhabitants of Carolina, and other acts by extending-the jurisdic tion of the courts of admiralty beyond their ancient limits, had a mani fest tendency to subvert the rights and liberties of the people of the prov ince ; that the duties imposed by several late acts of Parliament on the people of Carolina would prove extremely burthensome and grievous, and, from a scarcity of gold and silver, the payment -of them would be absolutely impracticable ; that as the profits of the trade of the people of the province ultimately centred in Great Britain to pay for the man ufactured articles they were obliged to take from thence, they eventually

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DECLARATION OF RIGHTS. 183
contributed very largely to all the supplies there granted to the Crown, and that as every individual in South Carolina was as advantageous to Great Britain as if he were a resident there and paid his full proportion of taxes for the support of his majesty's government, it was unreason able for him to be called upon to pay any additional part of the Charges of the general government. This declaration of rights, disseminated through the public prints, was read everywhere both in Carolina and Georgia, and evoked earnest sympathy from most of the inhabitants on both sides of the Savannah. Because Georgia had not been fully represented in the New York Con gress, Carolina was inclined to question her determination to resist, by every means, the enforcement of the Stamp Act. Because Governor Wright was bolder than Governor Bull in his efforts to carry into effect the expressed will of Parliament, Georgia was taunted with being a pen sioned government. In the South Carolina Gazette of February ii, 1756, it was scurrilously hinted that "her inhabitants were looked upon as a fair purchase and therefore to be treated as slaves without ceremony;" that they had been " deluded and bullied out of their rights and privi leges ;" and that " like Esau of old they had sold their birthright for a mess of pottage." The truth 4vas, the resistance offered by Georgia to the enforcement of the Stamp Act within her borders was much more determined and pronounced than that exhibited by South Carolina, and for the reason that Sir James Wright resolutely upheld the act by every means at command, while Lieutenant-Governor Bull, yielding to pressure, lodged the stamp papers in Fort Johnson and suffered Charlestown to be used as a free port. 1 Certain it is that although Governor Wright, at all times a brave man and loyal to his king, summoned all his energies and exerted his every influence to support the act, so thoroughly was the province of Georgia aroused, and so closely did her inhabitants watch the stamp papers and the officer designated for their issue, that none of them found their way into use. Georgians did not remain pas sive under those exactions. They resisted with arms in their hands, and triumphed in the contest. Even the gentle, self-poised, and influential James Habersham, president of his majesty's council, confessed openly,
1 See Governor Wright's letter to the Board of Trade, under date Savannah in : Georgia, loth February, 1766.

184

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

" The annual tax raised here for the support of our internal policy is full as much as the inhabitants can bear : and suppose the stamps produce only one-eighth of what they would in South Carolina, it would amount to as much in one year as our tax laws will raise in three; and perhaps we have not five thousand pounds in gold and silver come into the Province in five years, though the act requires it in one. If this is really the case, as I believe it is, how must every inhabitant shudder at the thought of the act taking place, which, according^to my present appre hension, must inevitably ruin them." The only stamps issued in Georgia were those employed in clearing between sixty and seventy vessels which were congregated in the port of Savannah fearing to depart without them. The emergency was press-, ing. Yielding to the urgency of the situation, the citizens consented in this instance, and in this alone, to relax the prohibition they had forcibly placed upon the use of stamp papers and the payment of stamp duties. Violent was the umbrage which South Carolina took at this act. It was resolved in Charlestown that no provisions should be shipped to Georgia, which was denounced as an " infamous Colony ;" that " every vessel trading there should be burnt," and that all persons who should traffic with the Georgians " should be put to death." These were not idle threats, for two vessels, clearing for Savannah, were captured before they crossed Charlestown bar, were brought back to the city, condemned, and, with their cargoes, were destroyed. 1 Sincerely, however, did the Carolinians repent of this behavior which was unneighborly, lawless, and wholly unjustified by the circumstances of the case. True to the com mon cause of the colonies, Georgia, in this emergency, was not unmind ful of the equities of the moment, and did not, in a whirlwind of passion, lose sight of her better judgment. Overawed by the popular uprising, Governor Bull did not pretend to stem the current, and Carolina achieved a comparatively easy victory. Georgia, on the contrary, prevailed in defiance of an executive who pertinaciously brought every influence and power to bear in behalf of tfie enactments of Parliament and in di rect opposition to the will of the province. .It was at one time reported that the failure of Governor Wright to sustain the provisions of the Stamp Act within the limits of the colony
1 Sec Stevens's History of Georgia, voL ii. p. 48. Philadelphia, 1859.

f!

JOY UPON REPEAL OF STAMP ACT.

.85

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had incurred royal displeasure, and that he was to be removed from office. Eventually, however, he was comforted with the assurance that his conduct was approved by the king, and that there was " no thought of recalling or superseding him." Perilous and perplexing was his sit uation. He acquitted himself like a brave man and a faithful servant of his royal master. The joy of the American colonies upon the repeal of the Stamp Act was universal. To Pitt—foremost statesman of England and the Apos tle of freedom,—came a message from across the ocean : " To you grate ful America attributes that she is reinstated in her former liberties. . . . . America calls you over and over again her father. Live long in health, happiness, and honor. Be it late when you must cease to plead the cause of liberty on earth." Upon the official announcement in Savannah of the repeal of this act, Governor Wright convened the General Assembly and tendered his congratulations upon the fortunate issue out of impending difficulties. The response of the members—not a few of whom were recentl^almost in arms against the Crown and Parliament,—breathed nothing but alty to the king and firm attachment to the mother country. Rejoicing in their deliverance from the turmoils which had of late robbed the colony of its wonted repose, and happy in the thought that the province was no longer annoyed by the presence of either stamp papers or distributing officers, both Houses on the 22nd of July united in a most conciliatory and grateful address to his most gracious Majesty. That address was signed by James Habersham,—President of the Upper House,—and by Alexander Wylly,—Speaker of the Commons House of Assembly. Notwithstanding these protestations of loyalty and this proclama tion of abiding devotion to the Crown and its fortunes, a new spirit of liberty was abroad in the land, and thoughts of political freedom already possessed the minds of the people. The sentiment that colonies, separated by a wide ocean from the mother country and united by kindred inter ests, possessed an inalienable right to fashion and sustain their own in stitutions without paying tribute to the home government, was fast de veloping into a cherished principle. Less than ten years afterwards it was asserted with the " consenting thunders of so many cannon that 24

186

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

even the lands across the Atlantic were shaken and filled with the long reverberation." The calm consequent upofi the repeal of the obnoxious Stamp Act was only temporary. Sir James Wright did not fail to inter pret the signs of the times: 'for, in transmitting to Secretary Con way a copy of the address, so loyal' and even subservient, he intimates that while many^Georgians seemed just then .to entertain a grateful sense of the "special grace and favours received," and appeared disposed to ex hibit a dutiful acquiescense in and obedience to the legislative 'authority of Great Britain, there were nevertheless not a few who still retained " the late avowed sentiments and strange ideas of liberty," and insisted that no power save re{|resentatives of their £>wn choosing could subject them • to the payment of internal tax^s.

CHAPTER XV.

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Marked Improvement in the Condition of the Province—Silk-Culture—Convention of the 3rd of September, ry6S—Benjamin Franklin Appointed the Agent of Georgia— Meeting of Savannah Merchants on the i6th of September, 1769—Patriotic Resolu'•tions adopted in Savannah —Non-importation Agreement—Suspension of the Hon. Jonathan Bryan as a Member of Council—Revolutionary Temper of the Lower House of Assembly—Dr. Noble Wymberfy Jones—Governor Wright Visits England-—The ffon. James Habersham Governor of Georgia During his Absence.

NDER the wise administration of Governor Wright, Georgia was now prospering. In six years her white population had increased four thousand; and four thousand two hundred and twenty-two slaves had been added to the negro laborers at work in her fields. During that period the export of rice had been trebled, and the production of corn, indigo, and wheat wonderfully augmented. The trade in lumber, shingles, staves, and naval stores became each year more important, and both Sa vannah and Sunbury prospered in their commercial adventures. Stren uous exertions were still made to promote silk- culture: and, although the Filature in Savannah was still open, the operations there conducted did not yield any income or justify the expenditures requisite for its maintenance. There was something in the climate which apparantly caused the worms to degenerate. It was only when stimulated by a bounty that the industry was prosecuted, and even then the cost of pro-

A killing frost on the ipth and*2Oth of April, 1769, and a reduction of the bounty previously offered by Parliament, materially diminished the production of silk in the province. The inhabitants of Ebenezer were the last to abandon this, industry. In 1772 the operations at Savannah were wholly suspended, and two years after the Filature, which was in a ruinous condition, was repaired and used as an assembly room. Soci eties there held their meetings, and occasionally divine service was con ducted within its walls. In consideration of his long and faithful labors, Ottolenghe, still styling himself " Superintendent of Silk Culture in Georgia," was complimented with a pension of £100. The following was, at this time, the annual cost of maintaining the civil establishment of his majesty's province of Georgia:
......... £1,000 The Salary of the Governor 500 Chief Justice ......... 100 ...... Secretary of the Province " •' 20 Clerk of the Assembly ....... " '' 150 . . . . . . Surveyor-General . " " roo of Quit Rents ..... Receiver-General " •, 150 . . . . ". . Attorney-General . " '' 100 . . . " . : . . Provost Marshal . " " 116 of England and 2 Schoolmasters ; Allowance for 2 Ministers of the Church 200 Salary of the Agent for the Affairs of the Colony ..... 500 . Pilot, with the Expenses of the Boat, etc. . 100 ' . . . Allowance for the encouragement of Silk Culture .

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188 HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

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On the jrd of September, 1768, an important convention was held in the Council Chamber in Savannah for the determination of the boundary lines which separated the English possessions in the colony from the ter ritory reserved by the Creeks. On the part of the Whites his Excel lency James Wright and members of council James Habersham, Noble Jones, James Mackay, Grey Elliott, and James Read were present The Indians were led by Emisteseegoe, the most noted and influential head man of the Creek Confederacy. Lachlan McGillivray acted as interpreter. The conference was fairly conducted, lasted three days, resulted in the adjustment of all existing disagreements, and proved satisfactory to - all parties in interest. With the repeal of the Stamp Act of 1765 George III. was thor oughly dissatisfied. He did not hesitate to characterize the proceeding as "a fatal compliance " which had placed thorns under his pillow and wounded the majesty of England. Although Parliament receded from the position at first taken in regard to stamp duties in America, the "Sugar" and the " Quartering " Acts still remained offeree. Townsnend's bill, specifying paints, paper, glass, lead, and all articles of British fabrication as subjects for custom-house taxation'in the Colonies, and . other statutes, clearly evinced to the Colonists a determination on the part of the British Government to raise a parliamentary revenue in -America, and united them in the opinion, advanced by Otis, " that taxes on trade, if designed to raise a revenue, were just as much a violation of their rights as any other taxes." John Dickinson clearly demon strated the danger of allowing any precedent of parliamentary taxalioiron grounds no matter how specious, or to any extent no matter how trifling;" and Benjamin Franklin gave expression to the growing resolution of the coloni?ts to deny the power of the British legislature to intervene in their affairs when he said: " I will freely spend nineteen shillings in the pound to defend my right of giving or refusing the other shilling." - » '. V lln 1768 Georgia secured the services of Dr. Franklin as an agent "to represent, solicit, and transact its affairs in Great Britain," and a committee coffsisting—on the part of the Council—of James Haber sham, Noble Jones, James Edward Powell, Lewis Johnson, Clement Martin, and, in behalf of the Commons House of Assembly, of John

MEETING OF SAVANNAH MERCHANTS.

189

Mullryne, John Smith, Noble Wimberley Jones, John Mllledge, John Simpson, Archibald Bulloch, William Ewen, and Joseph Gibbons was appointed to correspond with him, " and give him such orders and in structions from time to time as they should judge to be for the service of this province." Parliament being still intent upon an enforcement of the acts of which the American colonies complained, and all petitions for redress having proved fruitless, the provinces resolved to take the matter in their own hands, and, by a suspension of commercial dealings with England, to work that change in the purposes of the administration which their re monstrances had failed to effect. Upon her colonial trade did the pros perity of England largely depend. Commercial non-intercourse, there fore, could not do otherwise than seriously affect the well- being of the mother country. The appeal to sentiment, affection, and right was abandoned. The argument was now addressed to the pockets of the English people. The proposition was to import no articles whatever which could be manufactured or produced at home, and to abandon the use of luxuries. To the merchants of Boston does the credit belong of suggesting this plan, "but the Assembly of Virginia, in June 1769, was ! the first Legislative Body which adopted resolves of non-importation which ere long were sanctioned by the other Colonies." Georgians quickly recognized the advisability of the scheme, and earnestly sympathized in its consummation. On the i6th of September, 1769, at a meeting of merchants con-1 vened at the residence of Mr. Alexander Creighton, in Savannah, it was agreed that the late acts of Parliament, against which the Northern Col onies had so unanimously remonstrated, " were unconstitutional, and that the taxes therein contemplated were inconsistent with the abilities of the American Provinces." Full sympathy was expressed with the other co onies upon the question of non-importation. Speaking for the interests of Georgia, the gentlemen then present affirmed that the sterling current money of the province, which, by act*>f the General Assembly, assented to by his majesty, was declared equal in value to the coin of the realm and a lawful tender for the payment of all dues, having been refused when offered in payment of the duties imposed by the acts of Parlia ment, had been thereby greatly depreciated in value; that in conse-

HISTOHY OF SAVANNAH.
quence of this refusal all the citizens of the province had suffered injury; and that Georgia having been excluded from the benefit of the Spanish trade, by means of which specie was most readily procuruble, and the recent acts imposing duties which were solvable only in gold or silver, the inhabitants of the province were, from the nature of the case, ren dered incapable of responding to any ca41 which the mother country :• might constitutionally make. It was therefore resolved " That any person or persons whatsoever importing any of the articles subject to such duties, after having it in their power to prevent it, ought not only to be treated with contempt but deemed enemies to their country: it being a circumstance that need only be mentioned to any person inspired with the least sense of liberty, that it may be detested and abhorred." Not long afterwards, at a called public meeting, the Honorable Jon athan Bryan being in the chair, the following resolutions, reported by a special committee, were agreed to and ordered to be published in the next issue of the Gazette: l \^ " We, inhabitants of Georgia, finding ourselves reduced to the great est distress and most abject condition by the operation of several acts of the British Legislature by means whereof our property is arbitrarily wrested fro-n us contrary to the true spirit of our Constitution and the repeatedly confirmed birthright of every Briton, under all these oppres sions finding that the most dutiful and loyal petitions from the Colonies for redress of these grievances have not answered the salutary purpose we intended, and being destitute of all hope of relief from our multi plied and increasing distresses but by our industry, frugality, and econ omy, are firmly resolved never to be in the least accessory to the loss of any privilege we are entitled to : " Therefore, we, whose names are hereunto subscribed, do solemnly agree and promise to and with each other that until the said acts are re pealed, we will most faithfully abide by, adhere to, and fulfill the follow ing resolutions. " I. That we will encourage and promote American manufactures, ana of this Province in particular. " II. That as the raising of Sheep for the benefit of wool will be of
1 This was the only newspaper then printed within the limits of the province.

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NON-IMPORTATION AGREEMENT.

191

the utmost utility, we do therefore engage not to kill or sell any lambs that shall be yeaned, before the first of May in every year, to any butcher or other person who, we may have reason to think, intends to kill the same. . " III. That we will promote the raising of cotton and flax, and en courage spinning and weaving. " IV. That we will upon no pretence, either upon our own account or on commission, import into this Province any of the manufactures of Great Britain, or European or East India goods, other than may be shipped in consequence of former orders, except only cloth, not exceed ing I R 4d pr yard, osnabrigs, canvass, cordage, drugs, and hardware of all sorts, paper not exceeding 10" pr ream, fire arms,, gunpowder, shot, leads, flints, salt, saltpetre, coals, printed books and pamphlets, white and striped flannels, not above 9" pr yard, white linen not above I* 8d pr yard, woollen and thread hose not exceeding 24" pr doz: striped cotton not exceeding I" 4d pr yard, checks not above I s 3d pr yard, felt hats not above 48* pr doz: bolting cloths, mill and grind stones, cotton and wool cards, and wire, thread not above 8s pr lb., sho^s not above 48* per doz : as also the following goods necessary for the Indian Trade, viz. strouds, vermilion, beads, looking glasses and paint. And exclusive of these articles do we solemnly promise and declare that we will immedi ately countermand all orders to our correspondents in Great Britain for shipping any goods, wares, and merchandize other than hereinbefore excepted, and will sell and dispose of the goods we now or hereafter may have at the same rates and prices as before. " V. That we will neither purchase nor give mourning at funerals. " VI. That from and after the ist June 1770 we will not import, buy, or sell, any negroes that shall be brought into this Province from Africa, | nor, after the ist of January next, any negroes from the West Indies or any other place excepting from Africa aforesaid And if any goods or negroes be sent to us contrary to our agreement in this subscription, such goods shall be reshipped or stored, and such negroes reshipped from this Province and not by any means offered for sale therein. " VII. That we will not import on our own account or on commis sion, or purchase from any masters of vessels, transient persons, or nonsubscribers, any'wines after the ist March next

192

- HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

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" VIII. That we will not purchase any negroes imported, or any goods, wares, or merchandize, from any resident of this Province, or transient person, that shall refuse or neglect to sign this agreement within 5 weeks from the date thereof, except it appear he shall have been unavoidably prevented from so doing. And every person signing and not strictly adhering to the same according to the true intent and meaning thereof, and also every non-subscriber, shall be looked upon as no friend*to his country." Mr. Bryan, who presided at the meeting, was at the time a member of his majesty's council for the province of Georgia. These non-impor tation resolutions produced a decided effect upon the public mind, and were generally endorsed. The estrangement between Great Britain and her colonies was rapidly becoming more manifest, and but little effort was made on the part of England to conciliate her disaffected provinces. When informed of the action of the Savannah meeting the king was much incensed. Manifesting his disapprobation of the combination then formed, he was pleased, on the 9th of^ December, 1769, through the Earl of Hillsborough, to order that Mr. Bryan "should bp immediately sus pended from his seat at the Council Board, and removed from any office he might hold in Georgia:" it being the determination of his majesty to discountenance " every measure that tended to violate the Constitution and excite opposition to the laws." 1 Thus, in the person of the Hon orable Jonathan Bryan, a pure patriot, an influential citizen, and a brave man, do we record the first instance of political martyrdom in Georgia. His deposition,2 so far from intimidating the " Liberty Boys," caused their numbers to multiply and their hearts to grow stronger. Constant now became the struggle, and frequent were the disagree ments between the Governor and Council on the one hand, and the Commons House of Assembly on the other.
Of the eight thousand slaves at this time owned and employed in the | province of Georgia, nine hundred and fifty-four were the property of

the governor and council.

The members of the Common Council being

1 See Letter of the Earl of Hnlsborough to Governor Wright, dated Whitehall, gth December, 1769. 1 His removal from his seat at the Council Board was reported by Governor Wright in a letter to the Earl of HUlsborough, dated Savannah, ist March, 1770.

RESOLUTIONS COMPLIMENTARY TO DR. JONES.

193

men of substance, character, and influence, holding their positions by di rect appointment from the Crown, and acting as the special advisers of the governor, were, as might reasonably be expected, more conservative in their views and more frequently hi sympathy with the wishes of Par liament than the members of the Lower House, who, drawn from and elected by the people, naturally reflected the temper and sentiments of their constituents. This latter body was always aggressive during this period of political unrest. From its deliberations and declarations of rights sprang the main opposition to the acts of Parliament Reflecting the revolutionary sentiments of the masses, its members were tenacious of their rights, intolerant of executive interference, and aggressive in their assertion of legislative power and political freedom. Although ^time and again dissolved because, in the judgment of the Crown officers, the Lower House of Assembly was arrogating to itself ^ the prerogatives of Parliament, defying the laws of England, and exer cising privileges beyond those accorded by royal instructions, each new House of Assembly surpassed its predecessor in an exhibition of inde pendent thought and action, and manifested signs more emphatic of a determination to control the political fortunes of the province. Upon the convocation of the General Assembly of 1770, Dr. Noble W. Jones,—the son of Colonel Noble Jones whose name and services had ! been intimately and honorably associated with the Colony of Georgia since its inception under Oglethorpe,—was elected speaker of the Lower House. So pronounced and influential had been his views and conduct « in opposition to some of the objectionable acts of Parliament that Gov ernor Wright, exercising the power vested in him, refused to sanction this choice and ordered the House to elect another speaker. Incensed at the affront offered to him who has been aptly styled " one of the morning stars of Liberty in Georgia," and resenting what they deemed an unwarrantable interference with the power'resting solely with them to nominate their own presiding officer, the members of the House passed resolutions complimentary to Dr. Jones, and declared " that the sense and approbation this House entertain of his conduct can never be lessened by any slight cast upoa him in opposition to the unan imous voice of the Commons House of Assembly in particular and the Province in general." Criticising the action of the executive they re26 ,

194

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

/^solved " that this rejection by the Governor of a Speaker, unanimously 1 elected, was a high breach of the privileges of the House, and tended to subvert the most valuable rights and liberties of the people and their rep resentatives." This bold assertion the council was pleased to stigma tize as "a most indecent and insolent denial of his Majesty's authority;" and the governor, wielding the only punitive weapon at command, dis solved the assembly on the 22d of February, 1770.* Having purchased valuable lands, introduced negro slaves, and set tled several plantations in the province, anxious to devote some time to the advancement of his private affairs, and wishing to visit England, Governor Wright, on the 3d of July, 1769, applied for a leave of ab sence for a year; that leave to become operative not sooner than the spring of I7/O.2 In submitting this application he remarked to the Earl of Hillsborough : " Mr. Habersham, the Secretary of the Province, who is the President, er eldest Councillor, is a gentleman of property, no Lib erty Boy, but a firm friend to the Government, and a very worthy, hon est man. He has been in the Province from nearly its first settling, and must therefore know the people, and I think him of sufficient ability to fill up a short vacancy, especially when things are in an orderly way." This request was granted, and a royal license issued on the 2d of November, I769- 3 In forwarding it to Governor Wright the Earl of Hillsborough said : " I hope that Mr. Habersham's conduct in the ad ministration of Government during your absence will justify the favor able report you made of him, and that it will not be found necessary to send out a Lieutenant Governor." No better'selection could have been made on the part of the Crown. It was not until the loth of July, 1771, that Governor Wright availed himself of his leave of absence. 4 Three days afterwards Mr. Haber sham took the usual oaths of office and entered upon the discharge of His official title was " President and Comthe gubernatorial duties.
''See Stevens's History of Georgia, vol. ii., p. 71. Philadelphia. 1859. 1 See Letter of Governor Wright to the Earl of Hillsborough, dated Savannah, July 3. 1769 * Letter of the Earl of Hillsborough to Governor Wright, dated Whitehall, 2d November, 1769. 4 See fatter of James Habersham to the Earl of Hillsborough, dated Savannah in Georgia, 3d August, 1771.

GOVERNOR JAMES HABERSHAM.

195

mander-in-chief of his Majesty's Province of Georgia, Chancellor, ViceAdmiral, and Ordinary of the same for the time being." His personal acquaintance with the inhabitants, his thorough knowledge of the history, development, and wants of the colony, his long experience in the con duct of its public affairs, the purity of his character, and the high esteem in which he was held, admirably fitted him for this responsible position. He was also the firm friend ot law, order, and of the British Constitu tion. Of his loyalty to the king there could be no doubt, and all his avowed affiliations were, at the time, with those who obeyed the acts of Parliament and maintained their allegiance to the throne of England.

CHAPTER XVI.
The Eighth Provincial Assembly Dissolved by Governor Habersham—Governor Wright Complimented with a Baronetcy—Convention of the 2oth of October, 1773— Effect produce^ in Savannah by the Passage of the Boston Port Bill—Meeting of Lead ing Citizens at Tondee's Tavern on the 27th of July, 1774-— Governor Wright Alarmed at the Revolutionary Movements—Admirable Resolutions of the loth of August, 1774 —Division of Political Sentiment in Georgia—The Georgia Gazette— Protests from Sev eral Parishes—Parish of St. John—Meeting of the 8th of December, 1774—Provincial Congress of January i8th, 1775—Independent Action of St. John's.Parish—Dr. Lyman Hall—Embarrassing Position of Governor Wright.

OAVANNAH prospered. Good order prevailed throughout the prov^J ince of Georgia. Person and property were secure. An occasional alarm on the confines, or a quarrel now and then in the Indian territory between some avaricious trader and the natives, was all that disturbed the apparent calm. And yet the heart of town and province was deeply stirred. Although couched in terms most respectful, the protests against the encroachments of Parliament were earnest and emphatic. There still lingered, especially in the breasts of the older inhabitants, a love for the home government, art affection for the king, and a strong hope that the grievances complained of would be speedily and effectually redressed by England. Many there were who believed that the ministry did not ser iously contemplate the distress and oppression of America. Even the

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196
HISTORY OP SAVANNAH.
most violent in their strictures and resolves did not yet anticipate an open rupture, or prophesy a separation from the mother country. Re taliatory measures were at first devised and supported not so much with a view to an assertion of independence, as with the intention of forcing the ministry to a reconsideration of obnoxious acts, and of preserving, unimpaired, rights which were esteemed inviolable. The idea of a dis tinct nationality, however, was expanding. The spirit of freedom from kingly rule was abroad in the land: and as revolutions never turn back ward, agencies and sentiments were already at work which were des tined, at no distant day, to rob the British Crown of some of its fairest jewels. Because the eighth General Assembly of the Province, convened at Savannah in April, 1772, persisted, in the face of gubernatorial remon strance, in electing Dr. Noble Wimberley Jones as its Speaker, his Ex cellency, Governor James Habersham, acting in obedience to royal com mand, peremptorily dissolved that assembly. Although this act was ap proved by the king, its effect upon Georgia was perplexing and deleter ious. The treasury was empty and no tax-bill had been digested. Im portant statutes were expiring by their own limitations, and no new laws were framed for the orderly conduct of the province. The people viewed the dissolution as an arbitrary exercise of imperial power, as a violent suppression of the general preference, as an unjustifiable interference with legislative privilege. From across the sea there came no redress of grievances. At home the shadows multiplied, and the waves of popu lar unrest, disquietude, and passion chafed more sullenly than ever against the barriers which the ministry had erected. The services of Governor Wright were specially recognized by the king who, on the 8th of December, 1772, was pleased to compliment him with a baronetcy. He returned to Savannah and resumed his gubernatorial office about the middle of February, 1773. For some time trouble had been brewing with the Creeks, and acts of violence had been perpetrated at sev eral points. It became necessary to convene a congress of the Upper and Lower Creeks. Thirteen head-men of the former, and seven kings and head-warriors of the latter, met Governor Wright and his members of Council in Savannah on the 2Oth of October, 1774. The Honorable John Stuart,—superintendent of Indian affairs in the Southern District,—

MEETING AT TONDEE'S TAVERN.

197

'^^X'^^t

was also present. After some discussion and mutual explanations a treaty of amity was happily concluded. Georgia now claimed a population of rather more than eighteen thousand whites and about fifteen thousand negro slaves. Her imports and exports were annually increasing, and the indications of prosper ity,—commercial, agricultural, and industrial,—were multiplying on every hand. The passage of the Boston Port Bill was the first step in a series of coercive measures which the British ministry had now determined to It was quickly followed pursue with regard to the American colonies. by other acts which were regarded in America as forming a complete' system of tyranny. A knowledge of this legislation and an appreciation of its pernicious influence inflamed the minds of the patriots in Savan nah and elsewhere. On the 2oth of July, 1774, the following invitation, signed by Noble W. Jones, Archibald Bulloch, John Houstoun, and John Walton, ap peared in the Georgia Gazette. "The critical situation to which the British Colonies in America are likely to be reduced from the arbitrary and alarming imposition of the late acts of the British Parliament respecting the tbwn of Boston, as well as the acts that at present exist tending to the raising of a perpetual revenue without the consent of the people or their representatives, is considered an object extremely important at this juncture, and particu-^i_<i larly calculated to deprive the American subjects of their constitutional rights and liberties as a part of the English Empire. It is therefore re quested that all persons within the limits of thi^s Province do attend at the Liberty Pole, at Tondee's tavern in Savannah, on Wednesday, the 27th instant, in order that the said matters may be taken under consid eration and such other constitutional measures pursued as may then appear to be most eligible." Responding to this call, a respectable number of the freeholders and inhabitants of the province assembled at the Watch- House in Savannah on the day appointed. The meeting was organized by the selection of Sundry communications and resolutions from John Glen as chairman. committees of correspondence at Boston, Philadelphia, Annapolis, WillIt iamsburg, Charlestown, and elsewhere, were read and considered.

198

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

was moved and carried that a committee should be raised to prepare resolutions, similar to those adopted by the northern colonies, expressive of the sentiments and determination of this province. The following gentlemen were constituted members of that committee: John Glen, John Smith, Joseph Clay, John Houstoun, Noble Wimberley Jones, Lyman Hall, William Young, Edward Telfair, Samuel Parley, George Wal ton, Joseph Habersham, Jonathan Bryan, Jonathan Cochran, George Mclntosh, Sutton Bankes, VVillam Gibbons, Benjamin Andrew, John Winn, John Stirk, Archibald Bulloch, James Screven, David Zubly, Henry Davis Bourquin, Elisha Butler, William Baker, Parmenus Way, John Baker, John Mann, John Benefield, John Stacy and John Morel. A more intelligent, responsible, and manly committee could not have been nominated from out the entire circuit of the colonial population. While the resolutions were under consideration, it was wisely suggested that inasmuch as the inhabitants of some of the more distant parishes had not been advised of the present meeting in time sufficient to allow them to attend, the adoption of the resolutions should be postponed to a future occasion. It was therefore determined that the meeting " stand adjourned " until the loth of August. The chairman was requested to communicate with the different parishes and districts, and to request that delegates be sent to unite with the committee in framing the contem plated resolutions. It was the sense of the meeting that those delegates should be equal in number to the representatives usually elected to the General Assembly, and that the resolutions, as sanctioned by the meet ing in August, should be regarded as expressing the sentiments of the inhabitants of the province. In obedience to the will of the meeting, Mr. Glen, the chairman, caused notice to be published and widely distributed reqesting the re spective parishes to elect delegates to attend on the committee at Savan nah at the time agreed upon. Alarmed at the proceeding, Governor Wright convened his council and consulted with the members m regard to the best method of placing a check upon proceedings which he deemed unconstitutional and revolu tionary. A motion was made to expel Mr. Bryan from council because his name appeared among the committee men. That gentleman, says Captain McCall, 1 " with patriotic indignation, informed them in a. style
1 History of Georgia, vol. ii., p. 20. Savannah. 1816.

,!

ADMIRABLE RESOLUTIONS.

199

peculiar to himself for its candour and energy, that he would ' save them the trouble,' and handed his resignation to the governor." In direct opposition to the will of his Excellency, Sir James Wright, and in utter disregard of his proclamation, a general meeting of the in habitants of the province was held at Tondee's tavern in Savannah on the loth of August, 1774. The following resolutions, reported by the committee raised for the purpose at the former covocation, were adopted and given to the public as an expression of the sentiments of Georgia with respect to the im portant questions which were then agitating the minds of the American colonists: " Resolved, nemine contradicente, That his Majesty's subjects in Amer ica owe the same allegiance and are entitled to the same rights, privileges, and immunities with their fellow subjects in Great Britain. " Resolved, nemine contradicente, That as protection and allegiance are reciprocal, and under the British Constitution correlative terms, his Maj esty's subjects in America have a clear and indisputable right, as well from the general laws of mankind, as from the ancient and established customs of the land, so often recognized, to petition the Throne upon every emergency. " Resolved, nemine contradicente, That an Act of Parliament, lately passed for blockading the port and harbour of Boston, is contrary to our"\ idea of the British Constitution: First, for that it in effect deprives good / and lawful men of the use of their property without judgment of their peers : and Secondly for that it is in the nature of an ex post facto law, and indiscriminately blends as objects of punishment the innocent with the guilty; Neither do we conceive the same justified upon a principle of necessity, for that numerous instances evince that the laws and exec utive power of Boston have made sufficient provision for the punishment of all offenders against person and property. "Resolved, nemine contradicente, That the Act for abolishing the Char-"" ter of Massachusetts Bay tends to the subversion of American rights \^ for, besides those general liberties, the original settlers brought over with ' them as their birthright particular imntunities, granted by such Charter^ as an inducement and means of settling the Province : and we appre hend the said Charter cannot be dissolved but by a voluntary surrender of the people representatively declared.

2OO

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

" Resolved, nemine contradicente. That we apprehend the Parliament of Great Britain hath not, nor ever had any right to tax his Majesty's American subjects: for it is evident, beyond contradiction, the Constitu tion admits of no taxation without representation: that they are coeval and inseparable: and every demand for the support of government should be by requisition made to the several houses of representatives. "Resolved, nemine contradicente, That it is contrary to natural justice and the established law of the land, to transport any person to Great Britain or elsewhere to be tried under indictment for a crime committed in any of the Colonies, as the party prosecuted would thereby be de prived of the privilege of trial by his peers from the vicinage, the injured •perhaps prevented from legal reparation, and both lose the full benefit of their witnesses. "Resolved, nemine contradicente, That we concur with our Sister Colo nies in every constitutional measure to obtain redress of American griev ances, and will, by every lawful means in our power, maintain these in estimable blessings for which we are indebted to God and the Constitu tion of our Country—a Constitution founded upon reason and justice and the indelible rights of mankind. " Resolved, nemine contradicente. That the committee appointed by the meeting of the inhabitants of this Province on Wednesday, the 2/th of July last, together with the deputies who have appeared here on this day from the different parishes, be a general Committee to act, and that any eleven or more of them shall have full power to correspond with the committees of the several Provinces upon the Continent: and that copies of these Resolutions, as well as of all other proceedings, be transmitted without delay to the Committees of Correspondence in the respective Provinces." A committee consisting of William Ewen, William Young, Joseph Clay, John Houstoun, Noble Wimberley Jones, Edward Telfair, John Smith, Samuel Parley, and Andrew Elton Wells was appointed to solicit, receive, and forward subscriptions and supplies for the suffering poor in Boston. Within a short time five hundred and seventy-nine barrels of rice were contributed and shipped to that town. This donation came principally from Savannah and the Parish of St. John. While this meeting was most respectably constituted, while its delib-

DIVISION OF POLITICAL SENTIMENT.

201

erations were harmonious and its conclusions perhaps unanswerable, it must not be supposed that there was no division of sentiment in Georgia upon the political questions of the day. On the contrary, the royalisf"> party was rich, influential, strong, and active, and it required no little ef- \ fort on the part of the " Liberty Boys " to acquire the mastery and, in the end, to place the province fairly within the lists of the Revolutionists. The line of demarkation was sometimes so sharply drawn that father was arrayed against son, and brother against brother. Thus, not to multiply instances, the Honorable James Habersham and Colonel Noble Jones ) maintained their allegiance to the Crown, while their sons were among the earliest and foremost champions of the rights of the Colony. The' brothers Telfair were divided in sentiment upon the momentous issues then involved. The cruel effects of such disagreements, experienced during the progress of the Revolution were, not infrequently, projected even beyond the establishment of the Republic. No calamities are so appalling as those engendered in a strife between* peoples of the same race and claiming privileges emanating from the same fountain head. Polybius was right when he said that such dissensions were to be dreaded much more than wars waged in a foreign country or against a i common enemy. The only paper published at this time in the Province was the Georgia Gasetle. It was printed in Savannah, was largely under the control of Governor Wright, and its official utterances were in support of the royal cause. In its issue of Wednesday, September 7, 1774, J ap peared a card signed by James Habersham, Lachlan McGillivray, Josiah Tattnall, James Hume, Anthony Stokes, Edward Langworthy, Henry Yonge, Robert Botton, Noble Jones, David Montaigut and some ninetythree others,—'inhabitants and freeholders chiefly of the town and dis trict of Savannah,—criticising the meeting of the loth or August, and protesting that the resolutions then adopted should not be accepted as reflecting the sentiments of the people of Georgia. "The important meeting of the roth of August in defence of the constitutional rights and liberties of the American Subjects," these gentlemen affirmed, " was held at a tavern, with the doors shut for a considerable time: and it is said 26 persons answered for the whole Province, and undertook to bind them
26

1 No 570.

2O2

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

by resolutions : and when several Gentlemen attempted to go in, the Tavern Keeper, who stood at the door with a list in his hand, refused them admittance because their names were not mentioned in that list. Such was the conduct of these pretended advocates for the Liberties of America. Several of the inhabitants of St. Paul and St. George—two of the most populous Parishes of the Province—had transmitted their written dissents to any Resolutions, and there were Gentlemen ready to present these dissents, had not the door been shut for a considerable time and admittance refused. And it is conceived the shutting of the door and refusing admittance to any but resolutioners was calculated to pre vent the rest of the Inhabitants from giving their dissent to measures that were intended to operate as the unanimous sense of the Province. Upon the whole the world will judge whether the meeting of the loth of August, held by a few persons in a tavern, with doors shut, can, with any appearance of truth, or decency, be called a General Meeting of the Inhabitants of Georgia." Such is one side of the story as told by a pen dipped in the king's ink. Captain McCall, 1 who was himself an eye-witness of the occurrences, and who wrote while many of the actors were still in life, asserts that a few days after the meeting of the loth of August Gavernor Wright called a convention to test the strength of his party. About a third of the inhabitants in and near Savannah, including his council and other civil and military officers, met at the court-house, signed a dissent from the republican proceedings, and entered a protest against the late assem blage as being unconstitutional. Documents of similar import were pre pared and placed in the hands of influential friends of the governor with instructions vo procure signatures to them from various parishes in the province. To the parties having charge of these papers moneys were allowed, "proportioned to the number of subscribers they obtained," as compensation for their services. Under .such advantageous circum stances these royal agents were successful in procuring signatures from many timid men who sympathized with the American cause. Fraud too was practiced. In some instances the number of subscribers exceeded the population, of the parish from which the protest purported to come. Signatures of dead men were forged. Thus was earnest effort made to
1 History of Georgia, vol. ii., p. 24. Savannah, i8j6.

THE GEORGIA GAZETTE.

203

overestimate the strength of the king's party in Georgia and to belittle the power of such as were resolved to resist an enforcement of the recent tyrannical Paliamentary enactments. Several protests, obtained in this manner and intended not only to influence public sentiment in Georgia but also to reach the ear and confirm the purposes of the home author ities, were published in the Georgia Gazette. We instance one from the inhabitants of the parish of St. Matthew and town of Ebenezer, which appeared on the 21st of September;' another on the 28th of the month,* signed by sundry parties in the parish of St. George, and from the town of Queensborough ; and a third on the I2th of October,3 subscribed by a number of the inhabitants of the parish of St. Paul and town of Au gusta, an3 also by citizens of Wrightsboro, Kyoka, and the Broad River settlements. In his communication 4 to the Earl of Dartmouth Gover nor Wright alludes to the preparation of these protests, and ventures the opinion that when they are all received it will be apparent that the res olutions of the loth of August " were not the voice of the People, but unfairly and insolently made by a Junto of a very few only." The two parties in the province were already counting noses, and marshaling their forces for the coming contest. His excellency, with that political sagacity which distinguished him in a remarkable degree, foresaw the danger and confessed the inability of the colonial govern ment to sustain itself in the face of the gathering storm.5 He frankly admitted that it required the interposition of a power greater than that possessed by the executive to rectify abuses, remedy existing evils, and subdue the flame of independence which was each year burning more fiercely in the province. In the meeting of the loth of August the expediency of sending six deputies to the proposed general congress of the Arierican colonies was discussed. The proposition did not, however, receive the sanction of the assemblage. Of all the parishes composing the province none was more patriotic or resolute, none more public-spirited or anxious to form a league against
1 Georgia Gazette, No. 572. * Georgia Gazette, No. 573. w * Georgia Gazette, No. 575. 4 Dated Savanftah, 24th of August, 1774. * See his Letter to the Earl of Dartmouth, dated Savannah, the 24th of August, 1774.

ip4

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

British oppression, than the parish of St. John. Of the five hundred and seventy-nine barrels of rice contributed by Georgia for the relief of the suffering poor of Boston two hundred were given by the inhabitants of this parish. Brave, intelligent, generous, and most intolerant of the semblance of oppression, they were prepared " to exert themselves to the utmost, and to make every sacrifice that men impressed with the strongest sense of their rights and liberties, and warm with the most be nevolent feelings for their oppressed brethren, can make to stand firmly or fall gloriously in the common cause." Dissatisfied with the aci tion of the meeting in Savannah, which declined to commission dele1 gates to the General Congress, they called a convention of their own on the 3Oth of August, 1774. By invitation, deputies from St George and St David were also present It was then resolved " that if a majority of the Parishes would unite with them, they would send deputies to join the General Congress and faithfully and religiously abide by and con form to such determination as should be there entered into, and come from thence recommended." ' Georgia, however, was not represented in the first general congress of the colonies. To the " Sons of Liberty " the position now occupied by Georgia was distressful and mortifying. From her isolated situation, from her apparent indifference to the compact into which the other American col onies had entered, and from the ban under which she was placed by her failure to participate in the deliberations of and to be bound by the con clusions reached by the Continental Congress, they determined to liberate her at the earliest practicable moment ^ A Provincial Congress was determined upon as the surest and best method of accomplishing this desirable result, and the 18th of January, 1775, was suggested for the convocation. Savannah was named as the most suitable place for the session. On the 8th of December, 1774, many of the leading citizens of that town and of Christ Church parish convened at the market-place, and, having summoned John Glen, esq., to the chair, proceeded to an election of delegates to the Provincial Congres& Upon closing the polls at six o'clock in the afternoon, " the fol lowing gentlemen were declared duly elected, viz.: Joseph Clay, George Houston, Ambrose Wright, Thomas Lee, Joseph Habersham, Edward

PROVINCIAL CONGRESS.

205

4

Telfair, John Houstoun, Peter Tondee, Samuel Parley, William Young, ' John Smith, Archibald Bulloch, John McCluer, Noble Wimberley Jones, and John Morel." / In commenting upon this action of Christ Church parish a writer in the Georgia Gazette l says : " It cannot surely at this time admit of a doubt but every Parish and District throughout the Province will, as soon as possible, follow so laudable an example. " Every thinking man must be convinced how much the honour, welfare, and happiness of us and our posterity depend upon a vigorous assertion and claim of our just and natural rights which the arbitrary system of politicks adopted by the Administration is undeniably calcu lated to deprive us of." This anticipation was not realized : for, as we shall see, upon the as sembling of the Provincial Congress it was found that only five of the twelve parishes composing the province sent delegates. Governor Wright and the supporters of the Crown were most earnest in discoun tenancing all these prel minary meetings, and the home authorities as sured him that in his efbrts to "suppress such unwarrantable proceed ings " he should have every support. The Lords of the Admiralty were instructed to direct Admiral Graves to station one of his small cruisers in Savannah River, and General Gage was ordered to send to Governor Wright a detachment ofjone hundred men from the garrison at St. Au gustine.2 ^ ^. f* Although not yet thoroughly republican, Georgia was rapidly becom ing so, and neither the persuasions of the king's officers nor the threats of a resort to military force to compel submission to the will of Parlia ment were sufficiently potent to silence the voice of the protestants or to prohibit public demonstrations in favor of Colonial rights. Christ Church, St. John, and St. Andrew were the strongest and most intelligent parishes within the limits of the province, and in their pri mary meetings they all declared themselves in favor of the resolutions adopted by the Continental Congress, and appointed delegates to the contemplated Provincial Congress. It was the expectation of Governor Wright, by convening the Gen1 No. 584, Wednesday, December 14, 1774] * See Letter from the Earl of Dartmouth to Governor Wright, dated Whitehall, ist February, 1775.

206

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

eral Assembly of the province on the same day which was named for the meeting of the Provincial Congress, either to prevent a session of the latter body or to neutralize the effect of its deliberations. In this antici pation he was doomed to disappointment. The Provincial Congress as sembled in Savannah simultaneously with the Legislature and perfected its organization by calling John Glen to the chair. Of the twelve par ishes composing the Colony only five were represented by delegates, and some of them were hampered by restrictions which materially interfered with their freedom of expression and action. Chagrined at the inaction of a majority of the parishes, the delegates to this congress essayed to accomplish through the Commons House of Assembly that which of themselves they were not strong enough to per form. Laying before that body the papers and resolutions which were then engaging their attention, they hoped by securing the sanction of the representatives to announce those resolutions, which were akin to such as had been adopted by the Continental Congress, as embodying the general sentiments of the province. After a conference with the Upper House, finding it impossible to bring about unity .of thought and action, the members of the Lower House proceeded to a consideration of var ious communications received from other provinces on the subject of American grievances, and entered upon a discussion of the resolutions of the Provincial Congress which were submitted for their approval. These resolutions were substantially the same as those which had been adopted on the I4th of October, with the addition of three other ones: rendering grateful acknowledgment to the noble, honorable, and patriotic advocates of civil and religious liberty who had so generously and pow erfully espoused and defended the cause of America both in and out of Parliament; another giving thanks to the members of the late American congress for their wise and able exertions in behalf of American liberty ; and a third urging tha^t deputies should be sent from Georgia to the Con tinental Congress which was to convene on the roth of May next in the city of Philadelphia. £-- Pending the deliberations upon these important matters, and in order to prevent any authoritative and final action in the premises, the gover nor, on the loth of February, adjourned the General Assembly until the 9th of the following May. This action completely thwarted the designs

207 x INDEPENDENT ACTION OF ST. JOHN'S PARISH. ________________ /' ______________
of the liberty party and utterly prevented the nomination, by the repre sentatives, of delegates to the Philadelphia congress. Embarassed by this unexpected event; perplexed by the paucity of . the representation present, which, in all honesty, forbade that the conclu- J sions and recommendations of the Provisional Congress should be pro, mulgated as expressive of the will of even a majority of the parishes of Georgia; hampered by the restrictions under which some of the dele gates labored, and weakened by the withdrawal of the deputies from St. John's Parish who would listen to nothing short of an emphatic indorse ment of all the measures and resolutions suggested by the Continental Congress, the Provisional Congress adjourned on the 25th of January. Before doing so, however, it elected Noble W. Jones, Archibald Bulloch, and John Houston to represent the province in the Philadelphia congress. Having failed to indorse all the resolutions entered into by her sister col onies, Georgia, to the delight of the governor and council and the sin cere mortification of the lovers of American liberty, still remained out side of the Continental association. Disappointed, and yet not despondent, the inhabitants of St. John's Parish, with surprising unanimity, " resolved to prosecute their claims to an equality with the Confederated Colonies." This parish then possessed nearly one-third of the aggregate wealth of Georgia, and its citizens were remarkable for their thrift, courage, honesty, intelligence and deter mination. Having adopted certain resolutions by which they obligated themselves to hold no commerce with Savannah or other places except under the supervision of a Committee, and even then only with a view to procuring the necessaries of life, and having avowed their entire sym pathy with all the articles and declarations promulgated by the General Congress, the inhabitants of St. John's Parish elected Dr. Lyman Hall to v represent them in the Continental Congress. This appointment was*y made on the 2ist of March, and no more suitable selection could have been suggested. Among the prominent citizens of this parish none oc cupied a position superior to that accorded to Dr. Hall. A native of Connecticut, a gentleman of education and refinement, he had long been identified with the region, and was a member of the Midway Congrega tion. Owning and cultivating a rice-plantation on the Savannah and Darien road only a few miles from Midway meeting-house, he resided

208

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

in Sunbury and was the leading physician in that community. When departing for the Continental Congress he carried with him, as a present from his constituents to the suffering republicans in Massachusetts, one hundred and sixty barrels of rice and fifty pounds sterling. Upon pre senting his credentials Dr. Hall was unanimously admitted to a seat in Congress " as a delegate from the Parish of St. Jokn in tke Colony of Georgia, subject to such regulations as the Congress should determine relative to his voting." Rightly judging that they could not properly be regarded as repre/ senting the entire province, Messrs. Jones, Bulloch, and Houstoun did not take their seats in the Continental Congress to which they had been ac credited by the Provincial Congress of the i8th of January, 1775. The patriotic spirit of its inhabitants, and this independent action of St John's Parish in advance of the other Georgia parishes, were subse quently acknowledged when all the parishes were in accord in the Rev olutionary movement \ As a tribute of praise, and in token of general admiration, by special act of the Legislature the name of LIBERTY COUNTY was conferred upon the consolidated parishes of St. John, St. Andrew, and St James. Sir James Wright was not far from the mark when he located the head of the rebellion in the parish of St. John, and advised the Earl of Dartmouth that the rebel measures there inaugurated were to be referred mainly to the influence of the " descendants of New England people of the Puritan Independent sect who, retaining " a strong tincture of Re publican or Oliverian principles, have entered into an agreement amongst themselves to adopt both the resolutions and association of the Continen tal Congress." On the altars erected within the Midway District were the fires" of resistance to the dominion of England kindled at an early pe riod of the struggle, and of all the dwellers there Dr. Lyman Hall, by his counsel, exhortations, and determined spirit, added stoutest fuel to the flames. Between the immigrants from Dorchester and the distressed Bostonians existed not only the ties of a common lineage, but also sympa thies begotten of the same religious, moral, social, and political educa tion. This Puritan element—cherishing and proclaiming intolerance of Established Church and of the divine right of kings, impatient of re straint, accustomed to independent thought and action, and without as-

EMBARRASSING POSITION OF GOVERNOR WEIGHT.

209

.,

sedations which encouraged tender memories of and love for the mother country—asserted its hatreds, its affiliations, and its hopes, with no un certain utterance, and appears to have controlled the action of the entire parish. Since its settlement Georgia had received from the royal treasury nearly ,£200,000. In addition, generous'bounties had been expended in aid of special industries. Governor Wright,—mindful of this benefac tion,—in the present disturbed condition of the province sought every opportunity to inculcate gratitude towards a government the parental care of which had been so kindly manifested. Other colonies possessed charters upon which to base claims for re dress. Georgia had none. Upon the surrender by the Trustees of the charter granted to them by King George II. all chartered rights became extinct. After its erection into a royal province, the commission of the governor and the instructions of his majesty—communicated through the Lord Commissioners of Trade and Plantations and the Privy Council —constituted the supreme measure of privilege, and the rules of gov ernment. For fourteen years Sir James Wright had presided over the colony- , with wisdom, firmness, and impartiality. Through his zeal and watch- I fulness the province had been delivered from the horrors of Indian war fare, and guided into the paths of peace and plenty. By his negotiations the Indian title to millions of acres of the cedefiLdomains had been am icably extinguished. Diligent in the discharge of his official duties, firm in his resolves, just in the exercise of his powers, loyal in his opinions and acts, courteous in his intercourse, thrifty in the conduct of his pri vate affairs, and exhibiting the operations of a vigorous and well-balanced judgment, he proved himself a model colonial governor, securing the re spect and challenging the affection of his people. Although differing from many of the inhabitants upon the political questions which Were now dividing the public mind, and always intent upon maintaining the binding force of the acts of Parliament, he never suffered himself to be betrayed into acts of violence, of meanness, or of revenge. He preferred to counsel, to enlighten, to exhort. GeorgiaT\ was prospering under his administration. Her development year by I year became more marked. Her position was peculiar, and it excites no '
27

210

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

surprise that at the outset there should have existed a division of senti" ment upon the momentous political issues presented for her considera tion. The period of doubt, however, was short in its duration. Before Jefferson framed the declaration of independence Georgia had cast her lot with her sister American colonies, and, through her delegates, was participating in the adoption of those measures which brought about the I War of the Revolution. Of all the English provinces in America, GeorIgia had least cause to take arms against the mother country.

CHAPTER XVII.
News of the Affairs at Lexington and Concord — The Powder Magazine in Savan nah Broken Open and Much of the Powder Removed by the Liberty Boys— The King's Cannon Dismounted — First Liberty Pole in Savannah — Meeting of the 22d of June — Mob Law —Capture of Captain Maitland's Powder Ship— Memorable Provincial Con gress of July 4, 1775 — Delegates Appointed to the Continental Congress— Article of Association —Council of Safety— The Militia Purged of its Loyal Element — Pitiable Plight of Governor Wright— Battalion Raised and Officered on the Continental Estab lishment.

HE news of the affairs at Lexington and Concord reached Savannah J^ on the evening of the tenth of May, and created an excitement most profound. The blood then shed cemented the union of the colonists. The thunders of the nineteenth of April awoke the Georgia parishes from their lethargy, and turned the tidejn favor of resistance to parliamenary rules. The magazine at the eastern extremity of Savannah, built of brick and sunk some twelve feet under ground, contained a considerable sup ply of ammunition. So substantial was the structure that Governor Wright deemed it useless to post a guard for its protection. The ex cited Revolutionists all over the land cried aloud for powder. Impressed with the necessity of securing the contents of this magazine for future operations, quietly assembling and hastily arranging a plan for opera tions,1 Dr. Noble W. Jones, Joseph Habersham, Edward Telfair, William
1 This meeting was held at the residence of Dr Jones. » gia, voL ii., p. 43. Savannah. 1816.

McCall's History of Gear-

THE KING'S POWDER TAKEN BY THE LIBERTY BOYS.

211

\

Gibbons, Joseph Clay, John Milledge and some other gentlemen, most of them members of the council of safety and all zealous in the cause of American liberty, at a late hour on the night of the eleventh of May, 1775, broke open the magazine and removed therefrom about six hund red pounds of gunpowder. 1 A portion was sent to Beaufort, South Carolina, for safe keeping, and the rest was concealed in the garrets and cellars of the houses of the captors. Upon ascertaining the robbery, Governor Wright immediately issued a proclamation offering a reward of ^"150 sterling for the apprehension of the offenders. 2 It elicited no in formation on the subject, although the actors in the matter are said to have been well known in the community. The popular heart was too deeply stirred, and the "Sons of Liberty" were too potent to*tolerate any hindrance or annoyance at the hands of Royalist informers. - The tradition lives, and is generally credited, that some of the powder thus obtained was forwarded to Cambridge, Mass., and was actually expended by the patriots in the memorable battle of Bunker Hill. We know that the liberty-loving citizens of Savannah, on the 1st of kme, 1775, deeply moved by the distresses which the Bostonians were^experiencing from the enforcement of the " late acts of a cruel and vindictive ministry," and ardently desiring that the noble stand they had taken in the defense of those rights to which as men and British subjects they were entitled might be crowned with success, transmitted by the Juliana, Captain Stringham, and under the special conduct of John Eaton LeConte, esq., sixty-three barrels of rice and one hundred and twenty-two pounds ster ling in specie for the relief of such as had recently left the town of Bos ton. It is not improbable that the powder in question may have been forwarded in some such way at an earlier day. It had been the custom in the province to celebrate with festivities and military salutes the king's birthday, which occurred on the 4th of June. Notwithstanding the unsettled condition of affairs, Governor Wright was loath to omit the usual formalities. He accordingly, on the
1 In his communication to the Earl of Dartmouth, dated Savannah, May 12, 1775, Sir James Wright estimates the amount stolen at the figure we have named, and says he was informed by the powder receiver that there remained in the magazine "not above 300 Ibs of the King's Powder, and about as much more belonging to the mer chants." David Montaigut, esq., was then the powder receiver of the province. 1 See the proclamation printed in the Georgia Gazette of May 17, 1775.

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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

,

1st of June, issued orders for suitable preparations in anticipation of the event. On the night of the 2d a number of the inhabitants of Savannah came togetherrand, having spiked all the cannon on the bay, dismounted and rolled them to the bottom of the bluff Such was the pointed in sult offered to the memory of his majesty. It was with great difficulty that some of these disabled guns could be drilled and restored to their positions in battery in time to participate in the loyal ceremonies of the 4th, 1 which, as that day chanced to fall on Sunday, were observed on the Monday following. The first liberty pole erected in Georgia was elevated in Savannah on the 5th of June, 1775. The Royalists were then celebrating the king's birthday. The " Liberty Boys," in testimony of their desire for a recon ciliation with the mother country on the basis of a recognition of consti tutional principles and colonial privileges, at the feast which they pre pared drank as the first regular toast, " the king." The second was " American liberty" Within a week afterwards thirty-four leading friends to the union of the colonies convened in Savannah and adopted a series of spirited reso lutions recommending an early association of Georgia with her sister col onies and suggesting an equitable adjustment of the unhappy differences existing between Great Britain and America. On the 21st of June was published a call signed by Noble W. Jones, Archibald Bulloch, John Houstoun, and George Walton, requesting the inhabitants of the town and district of Savannah to meet at the liberty pole on the following day at ten o'clock in the forenoon for the purpose of selecting a committee to bring about a union of Georgia with the other colonies in the cause of freedom. The alarming situation of affairs in America, and particularly in this province, was urged as a reason for punctual and general attendance. At the appointed place and designated hour many were present A council of safety consisting of William Ewen, president, William LeConte, Joseph Clay, Basil Cooper, Samuel Elbert, William Young, Elisha Butler, Edward Telfair, John Glenn, George Houstoun, George Walton, Joseph Habersham, Francis H. Harris, John Smith, and John Morel, members, and Seth John Cuthbert, secretary, was nominated, with in1 See McCali's History of Georgia, vol. ii., p. 44. Savannah. 1816.

I

MOB LAW.

213

structions to maintain an active correspondence with the continental con gress, with the councils of safety in other provinces, and with the com mittees appointed in the other parishes in Georgia. This business con cluded, a number of gentlemen dined at Tondee's tavern. The union flag^was hoisted upon the liberty pole, and two field-pieces were posted at its foot. Thirteen patriotic toasts were drunk, each being responded to by a salute from the cannon and by martial music. One of the resolutions adopted at this meeting of the 22d of June pro vided that Georgia should not afford pr9tection to, or become an asylum for, any person who, from his conduct, might be properly considered in imical to the common cause of America or who should have drawn upon himself the disapprobation or censure of any of the other colonies. In defiance of this resolution a young man named Hopkins spoke contempt uously of the objects and conclusions of the meeting, and heaped epithets of ridicule upon the heads of the gentlemen composing the committee of public safety. He was arrested by a mob, tarred and feathered, hoisted into a cart illuminated for the occasion, and was paraded for four or five hours through the principal streets of Savannah. Similar punishment was meted out by the parish committee of Augusta in the case of Thomas Brown, who had openly declared his enmity to the American cause and scoffed at the proceedings of the continental congress. The intention of the patriots to ally Georgia with her sister American' colonies at the earliest moment was boldly proclaimed at another meeting of the citizens of Savannah held at the residence of Mrs. Cuyler cjn the I3th of June. The suggestion contained in a communication of Governor Wright to Admiral Graves that the port of Savannah was blockaded, may be thus explained. The Carolina committee, notified of the fact that a ship had sailed for Georgia having on board a large supply of powder intended for the use of the Indians and the service of the Royalists, resolved to capture it. Captains Barnwell and Joyner, of Beaufort, were directed to employ every means at command to seize the expected ship and secure the military stores on board. Embarking forty men, well armed, in two barges, they proceeded to the mouth of the Savannah and encamped on Bloody Point in full view of Tybee Island light house. The Provincial Congress of Georgia offered every assistance to these officers, and told them, if they so desired, they should be aided in the capture of the Brit-

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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

ish armed schooner stationed in the river. To that end arrangements were rr »de for a junction of the Carolina and Georgia forces. A schooner was commissioned by the congress and placed under the command of Captain Bo wen and Joseph Plabersham. On the approach of the Geor gia schooner the British armed vessel weighed anchor, put to sea, and departed. The Georgia schooner, taking a. position beyond the bar, had been on the lookout only a few days when, on the loth of July Captain Maitland's ship, direct from London and having the powder on board, was descried in the offing. Perceiving the schooner, and perhaps sus pecting some evil design, the ship paused before entering Tybee inlet, and, in a little while, tacked and stood out to sea. Quickly pursued, she was overhauled by Captain Bowen and the Georgians who, assisted by the Carolina party, boarded and took possession of her. This Georgia schooner 1 is said to have been the first provincial vessel commissioned for naval warfare in the Revolution, and this the first cap ture made by order of any congress in America. Of the powder taken from this ship nine thousand pounds fell to Georgia as her share of the prize. At the earnest solicitation of the Continental Congress five thou sand pounds were sent to Philadelphia and were there issued in supply ing the necessities of the embryo armies of the united colonies. 2 One authority states that six tons of gunpowder were taken from this vessel, and Captain McCall estimates the amount at thirteen thousand pounds. It formed a most valuable contribution to the military stores of the nas cent republic, and its exploding thunders shook the earth upon more than one battle-field during the war of the Revolution. In the memorable Provincial Congress which assembled in Savannah on the 4th of July, 1775, every parish was represented, and the delegates were fitting exponents of the intelligence, the dominant hopes, and the material interests of the communities from which they respectively came. The town and district of Savannah were present in the persons of Archi bald Bulloch, Noble Wymberley Jones, Joseph Habersham, Jonathan Bryan, Ambrose Wright, William Young, John Glen, Samuel Elbert, John Houstoun, Oliver Bowen, John McCluer, Edward Telfair. Thomas
' This schooner was armed with "ten carriage guns and many swivels," and had a complement of fifty men. *See Stevens's History of Georgia, vol. ii., p. 103. Philadelphia. 1859. Moultrie's Memoirs, etc., voL L, p. 81. New York. 1802.

ARTICLE OF ASSOCIATION,

215

Lee, George Houstoun, Joseph Reynolds, John Smith, William Ewen, John Martin, Dr. Zubly, William Bryan, Philip Box, Philip Allman, Will iam O'Bryan, Joseph Clay, and Seth John Cuthbert. The Congress was organized by the unanimous choice of Archibald Bulloch as president, and George Walton as secretary. This was Geor gia's first secession convention. Without pausing to enumerate its va rious and important proceedings, it may be stated, in general terms, that it proclaimed a declaration of rights, placed the province in active sym pathy, confederated alliance, and positive representation with the other twelve American colonies, practically annulled within her limits the oper ation of the objectionable acts of Parliament, questioned the supremacy of the realm, and inaugurated measures calculated to accomplish the in dependence of the plantation and its erection into the dignity of a State. John Houstoun, Archibald Bulloch, the Rev. J. J. Zubly, Dr. Lyman Hall, and Dr. Noble Wymberley Jones were elected delegates to thel Continental Congress, and the following article of association was, on the J 13th of July, unanimously adopted : "Georgia. Being persuaded that the salvation of the rights and lib erties of America depend, under God, on the firm union of the inhabit ants in its vigorous prosecution of the measures necessary for its safety, and convinced of the necessity of preventing the anarchy and confusion which attend the dissolution of the powers of government, we, the free men, freeholders, and inhabitants of the Province of Georgia, being greatly alarmed at the avowed design of the ministry to raise a revenue in Amer ica, and shocked by the bloody scene now acting in the Massachusetts Bay, do, in the most solemn manner, resolve never to become slaves, and do associate, under all the ties of religion, and honour, and love to our country, to adopt and endeavour to carry into execution whatever may be recommended by the Continental Congress, or resolved upon by our Provincial Convention appointed for preserving our constitution and op posing the execution of the several arbitrary and oppressive acts of the British Parliament until a reconciliation between Great Britain and Amer ica, on constitutional principles, which we most ardently desire, can be obtained; and that we will in all things follow the advice of our general committee appointed, respecting the purposes aforesaid, the preservation of peace and good order, and the safety of individuals and private prop erty."

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HISTORY OP SAVANNAH.

i v >r ; i

John Smith, Basil Cowper, George Houstou^, Joseph Clay, William Young, Philip Box, Seth John Cuthbert, William O'Bryan, George Walton, William LeConte, William Gibbons, Samuel Elbert, Edward Telfair and Oliver Bowen were designated as a committee " to present this asso ciation to all the inhabitants of the Town and District of Savannah to be signed." Expedition was enjoined, and these gentlemen were requested to furnish the general committee with the names of all who declined to affix their signatures. Georgia was now practically under the control of the Republican council of safety. Although Governor Wright still remained in Savan nah, he fully realized that the reins of government had been wrested from him; that he was simply a locum teneits, beholding, reporting, crit icising, but without the power to stay the onward march of events, or to shape them to the will of his majesty. His inability to control the " Lib erty people," he freely confessed, and humbly requested royal permission to return to England that he might resign his office, lender orders of the council of safety, the militia was thoroughly purged of all officers who declined to sign the article of association, and professed loyalty to the crown. Possession was taken of the custom house in Savannah, and an officer appointed to prevent vessels from landing cargoes from England. The port was practically closed. Governor Wright appealed in vain for a sloop of war to put an end to this " most disagreeable situation." On the r/th of September a vessel arrived from London, having on board two hundred and fifty barrels of gunpowder, most of which had been sent out by his majesty, consigned to Mr. Stuart, the superinten dent, and intended as a royal present to the Indians. This was too valuable an accession to their military stores to escape the notice of the liberty people. They accordingly boarded the ship at Tybee, removed the powder, and, transporting it to Savannah, diverted it from its destination and retained possession of it A "ship coming from Senegal with a cargo of two hundred and four slaves was prevented from landing. Compelled to depart the port, the captain, in his distress, set out for St. Augustine as affording the only prospect of saving the Africans on board from death by famine.

The lamentations of Governor Wright, although frequently uttered,

.:,; ;' J.

»~ I

PITIABLE PLIGHT of GovfeRNOR WRIGHT.
were as yet unheeded. " It is really'a wretched state to be left in, and what it's impossible to submit to much longer, government totally anni hilated and assumed by congresses, councils, and committees, and the greatest acts of tyranny, oppression, gross insults, etc., committed, and not the least means of protection, support, or even "personal safety, and these almost daily occurences are too much, my Lord." * The plight of the governor was truly pitiable. The only functions he now exercised were those connected with the probate of wills and the granting of letters of administration. In view of what had occurred, and of what was daily transpiring, he pathetically yet truthfully exclaimed: " There is hardly a shadow of government remaining." The royal cause experienced a heavy fcjow in the demises of Clement Martin, Noble Jones, — associate justice and treasurer of the colony — and the Honorable James Habersham, who quickly followed each other to the tomb. Before adjourning on the nth of December, 1775, the Provincial Congress appointed the following persons rilembers of the council of safety: 2 George Walton, William Ewen, Stephen Drayton, Noble W. Jones, Basil Cowper, Edward Telfair, John Bohun Girardeau, John Smith, Jonathan Bryan, William Gibbons, John Martin, Oliver Boweri, Ambrose Wright, Samuel Elbert, Joseph Habersham, and Francis Henry Harris. That body organized by electing George Walton president, and Edward Langworthy secretary. It was resolved to meet regularly at Tondee's Long Room in Savannah every Monday morning at ten o'clock, and as much oftener as the emergency demanded. The Continental Congress having on the 4th of November ordered that a battalion should be raised at the common charge of the united provirices for the protection of Georgia, and made an appropriation of five thousand dollars toward the defrayal of the expenses of this organiza tion, the council of safety, at its first meeting, commissioned Andrew Maybank, Joseph Woddruffe, Hezekiah Wade, and John Dooly as cap tains; James Cochran, John Morrison, Jeremiah Beale, atrd Thomas
1 Communication to the Earl of Dartmouth,dated Savannah, September 23. 1775. * As constituted in June, 1775, the council of safety consisted of William Ewen, William LeConte, Basil Cowper, Samuel Elbert, William Young, Elisha Butler. Edward Telfair, John Glen, George Houstoun, George Walton, Joseph Habersham, Francis H. Harris, John Smith, and John Morel William Ewen wa* chosen president, and Seth . • • . John Cathbert appointed secretary.

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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

E>ooly as first lieutenants; James Galoche, Moses Way, Jacob Blunt, Zephaniah Beale and William Bugg second lieutenants; and Thomas Dowly, George Philips, and Joshua Smith, third lieutenants. On the 7th of January, 1776, the battalion was further organized by the appointment of the following field officers: Lachlan Mclntosh, colo nel ; Samuel Elbert, lieutenant-colonel; and Joseph Habersham, major. Mclntosh and Elbert subsequently rose to the rank of brigadier-general in the army of the Revolution. The following company officers were then elected and commissioned: Francis Henry Harris, captain, and John Habersham, first lieutenant of the first company. Oliver Bowen, captain, and George Handley, first lieutenant of the second company. John Mclntosh, jr., captain, and Lachlan Mclntosh, jr., first lieutenant of the third company. Arthur Carney, captain, and Benjamin Odingsell, first lieutenant of the fourth company. Thomas Chisolm, captain, and Caleb Howell, first lieutenant of the fifth company. John Green, captain, and Ignatius Few, first lieutenant of the sixth company. Chesley Bostick, captain, and John Martin, first lieutenant of the seventh company ; and Jacob Colson, captain, and Shadrach Wright, first lieutenant of the eighth company. ! The erection of Georgia into a body politic apart from and opposed to the government hitherto existing by authority of the Crown, was now virtually accomplished. The president of the Council of Safety was virtute officii, the governor of this quasi-commonwealth, and Savannah was its capital. Such laws as were requisite for the preservation of the pub lic peace, the maintenance of order, and the defrayal of current expenses, were promulgated as resolutions by the Provincial Congress and by the Council of Safety. Courts were provided for the assertion of rights and the redress of wrongs. A military force had been organized for the common defense, and union perfected with sister American Colonies. A royal governor, it is true, still resided in Savannah, but he was little
: Gazeftf for February 7, 1776—No. 644,

ARREST or GOVERNOR WRIGHT.
else than a prisoner with a barren sceptre in his grasp. Members of the King's Council remained, but their advice was neither asked nor heeded in the conduct of affairs. All officers holding warrants from the Crown were idle spectators of events. Within the entire circuit of the province there was no one to enforce the will of his majesty. Well might Gover nor Wright exclaim in behalf of himself and the other servants of the King in Georgia : "We shall not remain much longer in this distressful condition." From this period until the erection of Georgia into a State upon con clusion of the Revolutionary War, but little legislation occurred in the proper acceptation of that term. The Colonial Legislatures had given to the statute book various acts and resolutions covering a wide range of subjects, and providing for the wants of a province rapidly assuming the proportions of an important, a populous, and a profitable dependency. Where these laws did not militate against the new government and the changed condition of affairs they were recognized of force and were per mitted to remain in active operation.

CHAPTER XVIII.
Arrest of Governor Wright by Major Habersham—His Subsequent Escape to the Scarborough—His Communication to the Members of Council Still in Savannah—Pro vincial Congress of January 22, 1776—Provisional Constitution of April, 1776—Presi dent Archibald Bulloch—First Passage at Arms in Georgia Between the Revolutionists and the King's Forces—Conduct and Resolutions of the Council of Safety—Affair on Tybee Island—Military Assistance from South Carolina. i

HP HE arrival at Tybee, on the I2th of January, 1/76, of two men-ofi war and a transport from Boston, with a detachment of royal troops under the command of Majors Maitland and Grant, cheered the loyal yet despondent heart of Governor Wright, and encouraged the hope that by force of arms the dominion of the king might soon be reestablished in Georgia. Six days afterwards, in view of the impending danger, to strengthen the independent temper of the inhabitants, and to demon strate most emphatically that royal rule in the province was at an end,

220

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

the Council of Safety resolved "that the persons of his excellency Sir James Wright, Bart., and of John Mullryne, Josiah Tattnall, and Anthony Stokes, Esqrs., be forthwith arrested and secured, and that all non-associ ates be forthwith disarmed except those who will give their parole assur ing that they will not aid, assist, or comfort any of the persons on board his Majesty's ships of war, or take up arms against America in the pres ent unhappy dispute." With a party selected by himself, Major Joseph Habersham volun teered to secure the person of the governor. Proceeding to the residence of the chief .magistrate, who was at the moment in conference with his council, Major Habersham, passing the sentinel at the door, entered the hall, and advancing to the governor and placing his hand upon his shoul der, said, "Sir James, you "are my prisoner." Astonished at the bold and unexpected act, the members of council and friends to the Crown there assembled fled precipitately from the house. Having exacted a solemn promise from the governor neither to depart from Savannah nor to hold any correspondence with the officers and soldiers on the ships lying in Tybee Roads, Major Habersham suffered him to remain in his mansion. A guard was posted to keep watch upon his movements, and to prohibit all intercourse with members of council, Crown officers, or persons deemed inimical to the cause of America. Of the bravery of this act too much can not be said in commendation. The personal courage displayed in mak ing the arrest, pronounced as it was, will be reckoned but as a trifle when contrasted with the moral heroism involved in openly defying the power of the realm and in humbling the duly appointed representative of the Crown in the face of the province he was commissioned to rule. The effect was dramatic, startling. Wearied with his confinement, mortified at his situation, and harrassed by dangers, some of them arising from shots wantonly fired into his dwelling, Governor Wright effected his escape on the night of the I ith of February. Slipping out of the back part of his house, he reached the river, and thence descended to Bonaventure where his friend Mullryne resided. There a boat and crew were in waiting, and he was conveyed through Tybee Creek to the armed ship Scarborough, Captain Barclay, lying in the mouth of the Savannah River. He was received on board at three o'clock on the morning of the I2th. The following day he penned

PRESIDENT ARCHIBALD BuiLOcrf.

221

a letter to James Mackay and other members of the king's council re maining in Savannah, in which, " as the best friend the people of Georgia have," he counseled an immediate return to peace and security under royal protection, exhorted the inhabitants to save themselves and their posterity from impending ruin and destruction, cautioned them to desist from their present plans, promised on his return to England to intervene in their behalf if they exhibited signs of penitence and craved pardon, and warned them against a continuance of their disloyalty. The warnings and the threats of the fugitive governor were disregarded. His persua sions from the cabin of the Scarborough brought a smile to the counte nances of those who had feared not his menaces while still the king's gov ernor resident in Savannah. The "Sons of Liberty" had proceeded too far to think of pause or to cry for pardon. The public voice was for lib erty, and the general mind counseled resistance. The olive branch wa extended in vain. As a matter of courtesy the Hon. Archibald Bulloch, president of the Provincial Congress, responded to the communication. His reply was satisfactory neither to the governor nor to Captain Barclay. The former said he could not consider it as an answer because no notice was taken of his advice and proffer of service to the colony. " However," he added, "if Georgians will not be their own friends, the province will blame them and not me who through friendship put it in their power to be happy." The Provincial Congress which assembled in Savannah on the 2Oth of January, 1776, was organized on the 22d by the election of the Hon. Archibald Bulloch as president. On the 2d of February Archibald Bu£") loch, John Houstoun, Lyman Hall, Button Gwinnett, and George Walton were appointed delegates to the Continental Congress. 1 Of the five delegates thus selected, the signatures of three—Hall, Gwinnett, and Wal/ ton—were affixed to the Declaration of Independence. ~J The sudden flight of Governor Wright, the presence of'aiv armed force in the mouth of the Savannah River, and the absence of any definitive rules of government rendered it obligatory, for the orderly administration of public affairs, that a constitution for Georgia should be at once adopted and proclaimed by the Provincial Congress. Accordingly, in April, 1776, at Savannah, a temporary constitution was framed and promulgated " as
1 Georgia Gazette of February 7, 1776, No. 644.

222

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.
It read

the groundwork of a more stable government" of the province.
as follows:

"COLONY OF GEORGIA:

"Whereas, the urwise and iniquitous system of administration obsti nately persisted in by the British Parliament and ministry against the -good: people of America hath at length driven the latter to take up arms as their last resource for the preservation of their rights and liberties which God and the constitution gave them; "And whereas an armed force, with hostile intentions against the peo ple of this Province, having lately arrived at Cockspur, his Excellency Sir James Wright, Baronet, and King's Governor of Georgia, in aid of the views of the administration, and with a design to add to those inconven iences which necessarily result from a state of confusion, suddenly and unexpectedly carried off the great seal of the Province with him ; "And whereas, in consequence of this and other events, doubts have arisen with the several magistrates how far they are authorized to act un der the former appointments, and the greatest part of them have abso lutely refused to do so, whereby all judicial powers are become totally suspended to the great danger of persons and property; "And whereas, before any general system of government can be con cluded upon, it is necessary that application be made to the Continental Congress for their advice and directions upon the same; but, neverthe less, in the present state of things, it is indispensably requisite that some temporary expedient be fallen upon to curb the lawless and protect the peaceable; "This Congress, therefore, as the representatives of the people, with whom all power originates, and for whose benefit all government is in tended, deeply impressed with a sense of duty to their constituents, of love to their country, and inviolable attachment to the liberties of Amer ica, and seeing how much it will tend to the advantage of each to pre serve rules, justice, and order, do take upon them for the present, and until the further order of the Continental Congress, or of this, or any fu ture Provisional Congress, to declare, and they accordingly do declare, order, and direct that the following rules and regulations be adopted in this Province—that is to say — "1st. There shall be a President and Commander-in-Chief appointed

PROVISIONAL CONSTITUTION.

223

by ballot in this Congress, for six months, or during the time specified above. "2d. There shall be in like manner, and for the like time, also a Coun cil of Safety, consisting of 13 persons, besides the five delegates to the General Congress, appointed to act in the nature of a Privy Council to the said President or Commander-in-Chief. "3d. That the President shall be invested with all the executive pow ers of government not inconsistent with what is hereafter mentioned, but shall be bound to consult and follow the advice of the said Coifncil in all cases whatsoever, and any seven of said Committee shall be a quorum for the purpose of advising. ^"4th. That all the laws whether common or statute, and the acts of Assembly which have formerly been acknowledged to be of force in this Province, and which do not interfere with the proceedings of the Conti nental or our Provincial Congresses, and also all and singular the resolves and recommendations of the said Continental and Provincial Congress, shall be of full force, validity, and effect until otherwise ordered. "5th. That there shall be a Chief Justice, and two assistant judges, an Attorney.General, a Provost-Marshal, and Clerk'of the Court of Ses sions, appointed by ballot, to serve during the pleasure of the Congress. The Court of Sessions, or Oyer and Terminer, shall be opened and held en the second Tuesday in June and December, and the former rules and methods of proceeding, as nearly as may be, shall be observed in regard to summoning of Juries and all other cases whatsoever. "6th. That the President or Commander-in-Chief, with the advice of the Council as before mentioned, shall appoint magistrates to act during pleasure in the several Parishes throughout this Province, and such mag istrates shall conform themselves, as nearly as may be, to the old estab lished forms and methods of proceedings. ''/th. That all legislative powers shall be reserved to the Congress, and no person who holds any place of profit, civil or military, shall be eligible as a member either of the Congress or of the Council of Safety. " 8th. That the following sums shall be allowed as salaries to the re spective officers for and during the time they shall serve, over and be sides all such perquisites and fees as have been formerly annexed to the said offices respectively:

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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

"To the President and Commander-in-CWef after the rate, per annum, of .........'..... sterling .£300 " To the Chief Justice ............. 100 " To the Attorney-General ............ 25 " To the Provost Marshal ............ 60 " To the Clerk of Court ............. 50 "

Archibald Bulloch was elected President and Commander-in-Chief of Geofgia; John Glen, Chief Justice; William Stephens, Attorney-General, and James Jackson, Clerk of Court. President Bulloch was a tower of strength. His personal integrity, his high sense of honor, his patriotism, his admirable executive abilities, his honesty of tho'ught and purpose, his sturdy manhood, his unques tioned courage, and his enlarged views of the public gdod were invaluable in shaping the conduct and maintaining the dignity of the infant cornmonwealth. Although the first man in Georgia to read and promulgate the Declaration of Independence, he did not live to behold the fortunate issue of his people's struggle for independence. Under the provisions of this temporary constitution was the Province of Georgia guided by the Revolutionists until the adoption of the first regular constitution, on the 5th of February, 1777, by the convention then assembled in Savannah. The first passage at arms in Georgia between the "Sons of Liberty " and the king's troops occured in Savannah early in March, 1776. Eleven vessels laden with rice and ready for sea, were on the first of that month lying at the Savannah wharves. Some of them were owned by parties entertaining little sympathy with the American cause, and prepared at the first opportunity to disregard the non-intercourse resolutions of Con gress and seek the most advantageous market. Aware of this fact, re membering also that the order promulgated by the Continental Con gress prohibiting the exportation of rice from the united colonies expired that day by its own limitations, and apprehending from the presence of the British vessels of war in Tybee Roads that the cause for such cont inental restriction had not been removed, the council of safety assumed the responsibility of passing and publishing the following resolutions: " Resolved that no ships loaded with rice or any other article of pro duce, in this Province, shall be permitted to sail without leave of the Council of Safety or next Congress, except such vessels as are or shall be permitted to sail for the purpose of procuring the necessary means of defence.

kESOtOTiONS Ofr Ttil CoUtTCiL OF S>AF«TY.

" Resolved that in case any loss shall be sustained by such detention, the Delegates from this Province shall be instructed to apply to the Continental Congress to make the reimbursement for such loss a general charge. "Ordered that the rudders be unshipped, and that the rigging and sails be taken away and secured from the several vessels now ridii>g-4n the port of Savannah." With the enforcement of these resolutions and this order Colonel Lachlan Mclntosh was charged. " For the safety of the Province and the good of the United Colonies " it was, on the 2d of March, unanimously resolved by the council of safety: " That the houses in the town of Savannah and the hamlets thereunto belonging, together with the shipping now in port of Savannah the pro perty of or appertaining to the friends of America who have associated and appeared or who shall appear in the present alarm to defend the same, and also the houses of the widows and orphans, and none others, be forthwith valued and appraised. " Ordered that Messrs. Joseph Clay, Joseph Reynolds, John McLuer, Joseph Dunlap and John Glen, or any three of them, be a committee for that purpose, and that they make a. return of such value and appraise ment to the Council of Safety to-morrow morning at 9 o'clock or as soon after as possible. ^ Resolved That the delegates for this Province shall be instructed to apply to the Continental Congress for an indemnification to such persons as shall suffer in the defence of this town or shipping. " Resolved That it shall be considered a defection from the cause of America, and a desertion of property in such persons as have left or who shall leave the town of Savannah or the hamlets thereunto belonging during the present alarm, and such persons shall be precluded from any support or countenance towards obtaining an indemnification. " Resolved That it be incumbent upon the friends of America in. this Province to defend the Metropolis as long as the same shall be tenable. " Resolved That rather than the same shall be held and occupied by our enemies, or that the shipping now in the port of Savannah should be taken and employed by them, the same shall be burnt and destroyed.

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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

" Resolved That orders shall be issued to the commanding officer di recting him to have the foregoing resolutions put into execution." These brave resolves were supplemented by this proclamation :
" IN THE CoUNClt OF SAFETY,

SAVANNAH, March 2nd, 1776.
"Whereas many householders in the town of Savannah, and the hamlets thereunto belonging, have basely deserted their habitations since the commencement of the present alarms: '"" And whereas some of them are associates in the great American Union, and, by consequence, their lives and fortunes bound to support it: "And whereas there is a number of shipping in the port of Savannah belonging and appertaining to persons resident in this Province : •' And whereas we deem it incumbent on every person, more especi ally on those who have associated, to defend their property with their lives: ." These are therefore to cite and admonish all persons holding any property in the town or hamlets, or shipping aforesaid, forthwith to re pair to head quarters in Savannah to defend the same, on pain of suffer ing all the consequences contained in the foregoing resolutions. " By order of the Council of Safety. WM. EWEN, President." Thus courageously and thoroughly did the authorities prepare to offer the stoutest and most patriotic resistance to the anticipated demonstration from the king's forces at the mouth of the Savannah river. So soon as Georgia, united her fortunes with those oTker sister colonies, all animosity ceased on the part of South Carolina. Between these adjacent provinces now existed the warmest friendship, and each pledged to the other a sup port most cordial, in seasons of doubt and peril. Of the situation of af fairs the council of safety in Savannah promptly advised the council of safety in Charlestown, and furnished that body with copies of the resolu tions, orders, and proclamation of the 2d of March. To such communica tions a tender of substantial succor was speedily returned. Captain Barclay's request having been refused, and the vigilance of the Council of Safety preventing him from obtaining the supplies desired for the land and naval forces concentrated below Cockspur Island, the British commander resolved to capture the rice-laden vessels lying at the

CAPTURE OF MERCHANT SHIPS BY THE BRITISH.

227

Savannah wharves and thus secure by force of arms what his negoti ations had failed to obtain. With this intention, on the last of February, with the Scarborough of twenty guns, the Tamer of sixteen guns, the Ckerokee of ten guns, and the Hinchinbrook schooner of eight guns, he ascended the Savannah River as far as Five-Fathom hole. He was ac companied by Major Grant who, with his command consisting of between two and three hundred light infantry and marines, was conveyed in two transport ships, one of which mounted sixtren guns. 1 The soundings of Back River opposite Hutchinsdn's Island having been taken; two of the vesels passed up. One of them came into position just In frorft'ef Savannah, and the other, in attempting to round the up per end. of the island so as to attack the town from above, grounded on a bank opposite Rae's Hall. In this disabled situation this armed vessel, which proved to be the Hinchinbrook, was fired upon by riflemen under the command of Major Joseph Habersham, who quickly drove her crew from the deck. Had boats been procurable he would, with his detach ment, have boarded and captured this vessel. At high water she liberat ed herself from the bank, and moved off. During the night of the 2nd of March between two and three hundred troops, under the command of Majors Maitland and Grant, landed from the vessel in Back River and silently marched across Hutchinson's Island. At four o'clock on the morning of the 3d they took possession of the rice-laden vessels lying in the Savannah River near the store on that island opposite the town of Savannah. So quietly had this movement been conducted that it was nine o.'clock in the forenoon before the authorities in Savannah became aware of the fact that British troops were on board of those merchant' men. It was suspected that they had been noislessly and collusively sur rendered by their captains. The intelligence was first communicated by two sailors from one of these vessels who, coming ashore under the pret ence of procuring seme clothes, gave information that Captain Rice, who had been detailed to execute the order issued by the council of safety directing that all ships in port should be dismantled, having boarded one of these vessels in performances of his duty was, with his boat's crew forcibly detained. Great excitement prevailed in Savannah.
1 See letter of Governor Wright to the Earl of Dartmouth, dated "onboard his Majesty's ship Scarborough, at Cockspur, in the river Savannah, in the Province of Georgia, the loth of March, 1776."

228

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

Colonel Mclntosh, with three hundred men, at once proceeded to Yamacraw Bluff, where he hastily threw up a breastwork and posted three four-pounder guns bearing upon the shipping. Before opening fire, Lieutenant Daniel Roberts, of the St. John's Rangers, and Captain Raymond Demere, of St. Andrew's parish, were dispatched under a flag of truce to demand the release of Rice and his boats crew. Rowing across the river they boarded the vessel in which Captain Barclay and Major Grant then were. £n utter disregard to the flag, Roberts and Deniere", although unarmed ^and on a peaceful mission, were, by command of British of ficers, arrested and detained as prisoners. A half hour having^ elapsed and the commissioners not returning, the vessel was hailed through a speaking- trumpet, and the release of Rice, Roberts, and Demere" peremptorily demanded. Insulting replies being received, two four-pounder shots were fired at the vessel, when it was answered that if the Americans would send on board two men in whom they most confided, the British commander would treat with them. For this purpose Captain Screven, of the St. John's Rangers, and Captain Baker, of the St. John's Riflemen, were detailed. Taking with them twelve men of the St John's Rangers, they were rowed immediately un der the stern of the vessel, where they demanded the return of the of ficers and of Rice. Incensed at an insulting remark, Captain Baker fired a shot at some one on board. This was answered by a discharge of swivels and small arms from the vessel which almost sank the boat and wounded one man in it Screven and Baker retired, the fire upon them being kep"t up as long as their boat was within range. The battery at Yamacraw Bluff now opened. For the space of about four hours firing was maintained between it and the British troops on the merchant vessels. The council of safety having convened, it was resolved to set fire to the shipping. Among the volunteers for this service were Captain Bowen, John Morel, Lieutenant James Jackson, Thomas Hamilton, and James Bryan. 1 The Inverness^ late Captain McGillivray, loaded with rice and deer-skins, was ignited and turned adrift in the river. " Upon this," writes President Ewen to the council of safety in South Carolina, " the soldiers in the most laughable confusion got ashore in the marsh,
' See Charhon's Life of Jackson, Part L, p. 8. Augusta, Georgia. 1809.

SHIPS BURNED,
while our riflemen, and field-pieces with grape shot, were'incessantly galling them. The shipping was now also in confusion. Some got up the river under cover of the armed schooner, while others caught the flame, and, as night approached, exhibited a scene as they passed and repassed with the tide,'which at any but the present .time would be truly horrible, but now a subject only of gratitude and applause. The Ships of Captains Inglis 1 and WardeJl nehher got up the river -nor on fire. They were ordered on shore and now are prisoners of Capt* Screven in the country, and their vessels brought down close into-:a wharf. They were permitted to write to Captain Barclay in the evening to inform him of their situation and to request an exchange of prisoners, -' which the latter peremptorily refused." Responding to their promise to furnish aid, the South Carolina Coun cil of Safety sent over one hundred and fifty volunteers from Charlestown, and three hundred and fifty of the country militia, under the com mand of Colonel Bull, who, arriving at the critical moment, assisted the Georgians in dislodging the enemy. Three of the merchant vessels were burnt, six were dismantled, and two escaped to sea. Before the British resumed their station at Tybee Roads a detach ment of marines went ashore on Skidoway Island to collect stores. It was driven off by a company of militia under the command of Lieuten ant Hext In a skirmish which occurred the same day at Cockspur, Lieutenants Oates and Laroach were killed V That the British forces were utterly foiled in their purpose may not be denied, although Governor Wright sought to convey a different im pression of the affair. In his letter 3 of the loth of Mafth, addressed to Lord Dartmouth, he claims that the expedition returned to Tybee Roads . f " with 14 or 15 merchant ships and vessels of one sort and another, hav ing on board about 1600 barrels of rice.". This is unquestionably an exaggeration. He further states that the troops sustained no loss, and • that only four sailors were wounded. . Lieutenant Roberts and Messrs. Deniere" and Rice" being still de tained as prisoners by the enemy, the Georgia authorities, as a retalia- 1 It was in his vessel that many of the British soldiers had been received. *McCall's Hittory of Georgia, vol. ii., p. 68. Savannah. 1816. •^Written on board his majesty's ship Scarborough, at Cockspur, in the river Savan nah. P. R. O.. Am. & vV*. Ind., vol. ccxxxvii.

2jo

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

tory measure, arrested James Edward Powell, Anthony Stokes, Josiah Tattnall, John Mullryne, and such other members of the king's coun cil as remained in Savannah. Several merchants and parties pecul iarly obnoxious to the " Liberty Boys," were compelled to leave the town. They sought refuge in the fleet. After various negotiations, about the 2Oth of March Messrs. Roberts, Demere, and Rice were re leased upon condition that the members of council under arrest should be set at liberty, with permission either to remain in Savannah upon pa role that they should have " no connection with the King's ships or troops in this Province, and with the understanding that the safety of their persons and property should be secured so far as the same could be protected by the Council of Safety," or with liberty " to go on board the ships at Cockspur and take their apparel, provisions, and anything else they might think necessary for their voyage, if they were disposed to leave the Province." Governor Wright, the officers of the fleet, and the soldiers were in the habit of going ashore on Tybee Island and utilizing, for their comfort and enjoyment, the houses there situated. This the council of safety de termined to prevent in future by the destruction of those edifices. Ac cordingly, an expedition,—consisting of riflemen, light infantry, volun teers, and a few Creek Indians,—led by Archibald Bulloch, on the 25th of March made a descent upon that island and burned every house ex cept one, in which a sick woman and several children were lying. Two marines from the fleet and a Tory were killed, and one marine and sev eral Tories were captured. Although the Cherokee, man-of-war, and an armed sloop kept up an incessant fire, the party, consisting of about one hundred men, sustained no los^ and returned safely, having fully executed the prescribed mission. Apprehending that the British forces would, at an early day, renew the demonstration against Savannah, every effort was expended by the council of safety in fortifying the town and in concentrating troops for its protection. The Rubicon had been passed. Blood had been shed, and resistance to the death offered on the part of Georgians to English dominion. The patriotism displayed by the citizens of Savannah and the manhood exhibited in the defense of their homes cannot be too highly commended. In commenting upon the resolutions of the coun-

PREPARATIONS FOR DEFENSE.

231

cil of safety, unanimously adopted, which provided that the torch should be applied to Savannah in every direction to prevent its falling into the hands of the enemy, so that if its defenders were compelled to abandon the town the victors would become possessed of only a mass of smok ing ruins, Captain McCall ] justly observes : " There are many instances of conflagration by order of a monarch ' who can do no wrong/ but there are few instances upon record where the patriotism of the citizen has urged him on to the destruction of his own property to prevent its becoming an asylum to the enemies of his country." The same author intimates, in explanation of the remarkably few casualties sustained during this demonstration against Savannah, that the hostile disposition of the opposing parties had not then beeri fully roused; that some hope still remained of an amicable adjustment of the differences existing between England and America; and that the in clination was rather to excite alarm by menace than to Irritate by the shedding of blood. The suggestion is not without force, and is specially applicable to the conduct of the English troops. 2 The forces furnished by South Carolina and present in Savannah during this period of alarm numbered about four hundred and fifty men, officers and privates. They were commanded by Colonel Stephen Bull, assisted by Major Bourquin. Some forty of them were posted at.Ebenezer as a guard to the public records and the surplus powder which had been removed from Savannah to that point as a place of greater se curity. Various were the detachments which composed this little army under Colonel Bull. In his general return, prepared at Savannah on the i $th of March, certified by Thomas Rutledge, adjutant, and forwarded to Colonel Henry Laurens, then president of the council of safety, in Charlestown, the following organizations are enumerated : the Charlestown Volunteers, the Charlestown Rangers, the Charlestown Light In fantry, the Charlestown Fuzileers, the Beaufort Light Infantry, the St. Helena Volunteers, the Euhaw Volunteers, the Huspa Volunteers, the Light Horse or Pocotaligo Hunters, detachments from Oakety Creek,
1 History of Georgia, vol. ii., p. 60. Savannah. 1816. 'For a further account of the incidents connected with this demonstration against Savannah, see Drayton's Memoirs of the American Revolution, vol. ii., chap. xiv. Charleston. 1821. , •

HISTORV OF
St Peter's, Black Swamp, Pipe Creek, Boggy-Gut, New Windsor, and Upper three Run* and the Beaufort Artillery. 1 After the afiair of the 2d of March there still remained near the wharves the following vessels which had escaped destruction by fire and capture by the enemy: the ship Unity, Captain Wardell, with 700 bar rels of rice on board; the ship Georgia Packet, Captain Inglis, with 500 banrels of rice; the brigs Amityy freighted with ash and live-oak; the Rtbccca, Captain Rutherford, with a cargo of lumber; the Sorick, Cap tain Steel, in ballast; the Beaufort, Captain Wood, also in ballast; the Fair Lady* Captain Robertson, with 30 hogsheads of tobacco; and the schooner Horse Race, Captain Burch, in ballast To prevent all possibil ity of their departure to sea, the council of safety ordered their rigging to be brought ashore, and that their rudders should be " unhung." Col onel Bull was requested to superintend the execution of this order. As it was noised abroad by evil-disposed persons that the Carolinians had taken possession of Savannah, Colonel Bull suggested that the matter had better be attended to by Georgia troops, aud that he would be near with his command to render assistance in case resistance was offered by the captains and crews of the veasels. Lieutenant Colonel Stirk, \vith forty of the Georgia militia, wa$ therefore detailed to dismantle these vessels. Thfa service he performed in a satisfactory manner. All danger of an immediate renewal of the attack by the enemy being now regarded as overpast, and there being no longer any neces sity for the retention, on Georgia soil, of the Carolina troops, Colonel Ball departed with his command. Having disbanded it in the lower' part of South Carolina, he repaired to Charlestown' where he, rendered an account to the council of safety of all affairs which had been entrusted to him. Sensible of the valuable aid rendered by this officer and his companions to the colony in a trying hour, the Provincial Congress of Georgia on the 24th of March passed the following resolution: " That the thanks of the Congress be returned to Stephen Bull Esqr. of Sheldoo, Colonel of the Granville County regiment of militia, for his import ant services in command of the Colony forces in Savannah; and that
'Drayton's Mcmtirs of the American Revolution, etc., vol. ii., p. 238. Charleston.

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE.
he be desired to signify their thanks to the officers and men then under his command." l Upon the departure of the Carolina troops there remained for the protection of Savannah the Georgia battalion, under the command of] f Colonel Mclntosh, numbering only two hundred and thirty-six men. Of these not more than one hundred were present for duty. Along the \ I * * • V. Florida line was distributed a troop of sixty mounted men to prevent /\ cattle stealing. A body of cavalry of like strength guarded the west- \ \ era frontier against the threatened invasion of the Indians. For the i protection of the sea-coast, permeated with bays and inlets and infested ) by armed vessels of light draft, there was not a single ship. Such was / the defenseless condition of the province. Evincing no alarm, however, '• the patriots calmly and energetically organized their government, ac cumulated warlike stores, and placed the militia upon the best possible footing. His excellency Archibald Bulloch, president and commanderin-chlef, true to the high trusts confided to him, manifested " an ability suited to the occasion," and an " energy adequate to the crisis."

CHAPTER XIX.
Promulgation in Savannah of the Declaration of Independence—King George III. Interred in Effigy—General Charles Lee Plans an Expedition Against East Florida— Constitution of 1777—Military and Political Events—The Theater of War Transferred to the Southern Department—Reduction of Savannah Resolved Upon—Invasion of Georgia by Colonels Fuser and Prevost—Successful Defense of Sunbury by Colonel John Mcln tosh—Colonel Campbell's Advance upon and Capture of Savannah in December, 1778 —Details of the Affair—Losses Sustained by the Rebels. .

IX days after the defeat of the British fleet before the palmetto walls of the fort on Sullivan's Island, the United Colonies proclaimed them selves free and independent. So tardy were the means of communication when the electric tele1 This expedition for the relief of Georgia cost the province of South Carolina £6,213 7s' &* 30

S

/

*34

HISTORY OP SAVANNAH.

graph and conveyance by steam were wholly unknown, that the Declar ation of Independence, sanctioned in Philadelphia on the 4th of July, 1776, was not heard of in Georgia until the loth of August. On that day an express messenger delivered to President Bulloch a copy of that memorable document, accompanied by a letter from John Hancock, pres ident of Ac Continental Congress. The Provincial Council was at once assembled, and to it did President Bulloch read aloud that historic utter ance. Profound was the impression created upon the minds of his audi tors, and rapturously did the assembled councilors hail the elevation of a British colony into the dignity of a free and independent State. This ceremony concluded, the president and council repaired to the public square, where, in front of the building set apart for the deliberations of the Provincial Assembly, the Declaration of Independence was again read, and this time amid the acclamations of the congregated citizens of Savannah. The grenadier and light infantry companies then fired a general salute. A procession was formed consisting of
The Grenadiers in front ; The Provost Marshal on horseback, with his sword drawn ; The Secretary, bearing the Declaration ; His Excellency the President ; The honorable the Council, and gentlemen attending; The Light Infantry- ; The Militia of the town and district of Savannah ; and lastly, the citizens.

j

In this order they marched to the liberty pole, where they were met by the Georgia battalion. Here the declaration was read for the third time. At the command of Colonel Mclntosh, thirteen volleys were fired from the field- pieces and also from the small afms. Thence the entire concourse proceeded to the battery, at the Trustees' Garden, where the declaration was publicly read for the fourth and last time, and a salute was fired from the siege guns planted at that point. His excellency, the members of council, Colonel Lachlan Mclntosh, many gentlemen, and the militia dined under the cedar trees and cordi ally drank to the "prosperity and perpetuity of the United, Free, and IndjCggftdent States of America." In the evening the town was illuminated. A funeral procession, em bracing a number of citizens larger than had ever been congregated in

EXPEDITION AGAINST FLORIDA PLANNED.
the history of Savannah, and attended by the grenadier and fight infan try companies, the Georgia battalion, and the militia, with muffled drums, marched tk> the front of the court-house where his majesty George the Third was interred in effigy, and the following burial service, prepared • for the occasion, was read with all solemnity: *' For as much as George the Third, of Great Britain, hath most fla grantly violated his Coronation Oath, and trampled upon the Constitu tion of our country, and the sacred rights of mankind: we, therefore, commit his political existence to the ground—corruption to corruption— tyranny to the grave—and oppression to eternal infamy; in sure aftd . certain hope that he will never obtain a resurrection to rule again over these United States of America. But, my friends and fellow-citizens, let us not be sorry, as men without hope, for TYRANTS that thus depart— rather let us remember America is free and independent; that she is, and will be, with the blessing of the Almighty, GREAT among the nations of the earth. Let this encourage us in well doing, to fight for our rights and privileges, for our wives and children, and for all that is near and .dear unto us. May God give us his blessing, and let all the people say With similar joy was the Declaration of Independence welcomed in" other parishes of Georgia. St John's Parish, the home of Hall and Gwinnett, two of the signers, was'most pronounced in its demonstrations of approval. Now thjjtt Georgia had been formally recognized as a State by Hie highest congress known to the late provinces, and as it had been recom mended by the Colonial Congress that governments should be provided in the several States adapted to the exigencies of the new order of affairs and conducive to the happiness and safety alike of the respective States and of the United States, Presdient Bulloch issued his proclamation ordering a general election to be held between the 1st and ibth of September for the purpose of selecting representatives to meet in convention in Savan nah on the first Tuesday in October. Flushed with his recent victory in Charles-Town harbor, General Charles Lee, in August, planned an expedition for the reduction of St. Augustine. A concentration of forces was had at Savannah; and, on the 18th the general reviewed the army on the green at Yamacraw.

AMEN."

Mistokv ofr SAVANNAH.
Precipitate action, the absence of needful supplies and requisite transpor tation, hot suns, and severe fevers interrupted the advance of the troops, and the whole affair was countermanded at Sunbury. In obedience to the proclamation and circular letter of President Bulioch, the various parishes of Georgia, within the specified time, proceeded to the election of delegates to the constitutional convention which was ordered to assemble in Savannah on the first Tuesday in October, 1776. These delegates were men of repute in the communities from which they came. They had been carefully chosen, were pronounced friends of lib erty, and were not insensible to the weighty obligations resting upon them. At this crisis of the nation's fate so numerous were the subjects claiming the attention of the convention, and so exhaustive were its de liberations, it was not until the 5th of February, 1777, that satisfactory conclusions were reached, and that the constitution l was promulgated which, for twelve years, defined and supported the rights of Georgia as an independent State. Then followed the capture of Fort Mclntosh by Colonels Brown, Cunningham, and McGirth, the defeat by Colonel Mclntosh of an expe ditionary force issuing from East Florida, the death of President Bulloch — the lamp of liberty in his hand trimmed and burning — the election of Button Gwinnett as his successor, his disagreement with Mclntosh, his illtimed and disastrous expedition for the subjugation of East Florida, the defeat of Colonel Baker, the election of John Adam Treutlen as gover nor, the duel between Gwmnett and Mclntosh, the futile attempt of the South Caroiinians to absorb Georgia, the elevation of John Houstoun to the gubernatorial chair on the loth of January, 1778 and his investiture by the executive council with almost dictatorial powers, the joint effort of Governor Houstoun and General Robert Howe, in the spring of that year, to overrun East Florida, the gallant capture by Colonel Elbert of the brigantine Hinchinbrook^ the sloop Rebecca^ and a pri2e brig, Col onel Elijah Clarke's brilliant but vain attempt to dislodge the enemy from his works on Alligator Creek, the abandonment of the expedition at Fort Tonyn, and the return of the troops to Sunbury, Savannah, and Charles-Town. In the fall of 1778 Lord George Germain determined to transfer the
f For the provisions of this instrument see " Jones's History of Georgia?' vol. i\, pp. 352-060.

REDUCTION OF SAVANNAH RESOLVED UPON.
theater of active warfare from the northern to the southern provinces. His hopes were fixed upon the subjugation of Georgia and South Caro lina. The former was to be invaded by General Augustine Provost, is suing from East Florida, while a heavy force, under the command of Colonel Archibald Campbell, sailing from New York, was to supplement this movement by a direct attack upon Savannah. Thus caught between the upper and the nether millstone, it was confidently expected that Georgia would speedily and surely be ground down into absolute sub mission to British rule. As a diversion, and with a view to distracting the attention of General j Howe and the continental forces concentrated at Savannah, General Prevost dispatched from St. Augustine two expeditions, one by sea to operate directly against Sunbury, and the other by land to march through and devastate the lower portions of Georgia, and, at that town, to form a junc tion with the former. Sunbury having been reduced, both columns were to advance upon Savannah. Of the detachment moving by water, and consisting of infantry and light artillery, Lieutenant Colonel Fuser was placed in command, while the column penetrating by land was entrusted to Lieutenant-Colonel Mark Prevost. Having successfully pushed his advance some six miles beyond Midway Meeting-house, and there learn ing not only that the expedition under Colonel Fuser had not arrived before Sunbury, but also that Colonels Elbert and White were prepared vigorously to dispute his crossing at the great Ogeeche River, Colonel Prevost determined to abandon his enterprise and to return to St. Au gustine. Delayed by head-winds Colonel Fuser did not appear in front of Sunbury until Prevost had entered upon his retreat and was beyond the reach of communication. In the face of Colonel John Mclntosh's brave defense of that place, Fuser was forced to raise the siege of the town. Re-embarking his troops he returned to the River St. John where . he met the retreating troops under the command of Prevost. Mutual re criminations ensued between these officers, each charging upon the other the responsibility of the failure of the respective expeditions. While this demonstration fell short of the object proposed, it had the effect of drawing General Howe and his little army away from Savannah for the relief of Sunbury. Th.e first definite intelligence of Colonel CampbeU's approach-was

J

238

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

communicated by William Haslen, a deserter from the British transport ship Neptune. He was examined before Governor Houstotm on the 6th of December, and a copy of his deposition l was at once forwarded by express to General Howe who was still at Sunbury. His declaration left no doubt on the minds of the authorities but that a very formidable ex pedition was afloat destined for the reduction of Savannah and the con quest of Georgia. About the same time General Howe received another express from the south verifying the rumor that General Augustine Prevost was on the eve of marching from St. Augustine, with all his forces, against Georgia. * In this alarming posture of affairs the militia was hastily summoned to the field, and Captain John Milton, secretary of State, was directed by the governor to pack and remove, without delay, to a place of safety, all the public records appertaining to his office. They were accordingly trans ported in boats to'Purrysburg, and thence to the residence of Mr. Bryan. Early in December the first vessels belonging to Colonel Campbell's expedition made their appearance at Tybee. The weather proving very unfavorable, they withdrew to sea, and at one time it was hoped that the alarm created by their presence was premature and possibly false. Even the governor shared hi this impression, for he ordered that the public records should be returned to Savannah. Before this was done the Brit ish vessels were again upon the coast, and Captain Milton proceeded to Charlestown and there deposited the State's papers for safe-keeping. We learn from Lieutenant- Colonel Archibald Campbell's report 2 to Lord George Germain, dated Savannah, January 16, 1779, that in obedi ence to Sir Henry Clinton's orders he set sail from Sandy Hook on the 27th of November, 1778, with his majesty's Seventy-first .Regiment o'f foot, two battalions of Hessians, four battalions of Provincials, and a de tachment of the royal artillery, en route for Georgia. He was escorted by a squadron of his majesty's ships of war commanded by Commodore Parker. The entire fleet, with the exception of two horse sloops, arrived off the Island of Tybee on the 23d of December. By the 27th the vessels had crossed the bar and were lying at anchor in the Savannah River.
a copy of this deposition see McCaH's History of Georgia, vol. ii., p. 165. Sa vannah. 1816.
*See Gentleman's Magazine for the year 1739, p. 177-

BRITISH TROOPS BEFORE* SAVANNAH.
From the provincial battalions two corps of light infantry were formed, one to be attached to Sir James Baird's light company of the Seventyfirst Highlanders, and the other/to Captain Cameron's company of the same regiment. Possessing no intelligence that could be relied upon with regard to the military force in Georgia or the dispositions made for her defense. Sir James Baird's Highland Company of Light Infantry, with Lieutenant Clarke of the navy, was dispatched in two flat-boats, on the night of the 2/th, to seize any of the inhabitants they might find on the banks of Wilmington River. Two men were captured, and the informa tion derived from them confirmed Colonel Campbell and Commodore Parker in the resolution to land thetr troops the next evening at Mr. Girardeau's plantation, less than two miles below the town of Savannah. This was the first practicable bluff near the Savannah River,—the region between it and Tybee Island being a continuous marsh intersected by streams. , The Vigilant, a man-of-war, with the Cottet galley, the Kepelt an armed brig, and the armed sloop Greenwich, followed by the transports in three divisions in the order established for a descent, proceeded up the river with the tide at noon. About four o'clock in the afternoon the Vig ilant opened the reach to Girardeau's plantation, and was cannonaded by two American galleys. A single shot from the Vigilant quickened their retreat. The tide and the evening being too far spent, and many of the trans ports having gotten aground some five or six miles below Girardeau's plantation, the debarkation was delayed until the next morning. At daybreak the first division of the troops—consisting of ail the light in fantry of the army, the New York volunteers, and the first battalion of the Seventy-first Regiment, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Maitland—was landed on the river dam in front of Girardeau's planta tion. Thence a narrow causeway, about eight hundred yards in length, with a ditch on each side, led through a swamp directly towards Girar deau's residence, which stood upon a bluff some thirty feet above the level of the river delta. The light infantry, under Captain Caraeron, having first reached the shore, were rapidly formed and led briskly forward to the bluff where Captain John C. Smith, of South Carolina, with forty men, was posted. Here the British were welcomed by a smart fire of

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.
musketry by which Captain Cameron and two Highlanders were slain and five others were wounded. Rushing onward and upward the enemy quickly succeeded in driving Captain Smith from his position. He re treated upon the main army. The bluff was soon occupied by the first division of the king's troops and one company of the Second Battalion of the Seventy-first Regiment, the first battalion of Delancey, the Wellworth Battalion, and a portion of Wissenbach's regiment of Hes sians A company of the second battalion of the Seventy-first Regiment and the first battalion of Delancey being left to cover the landing place, Colonel Campbell moved on in the direction of Savannah in the follow ing order. The light infantry, throwing off their packs, formed the ad vance. Then came the New York Volunteers, the first battalion of the Seventy-first Regiment, with two six-pounder guns, and the Wellworth battalion of Hessians with two three-pounders. A part of Wissenbach's Hessian battalion closed the rear. Upon entering die great road leading to the town, Wissenbach's battalion was there posted to secure the rear of the army. A thick, impenetrable, wooded swamp covered the left of the line of march, while the cultivated plantations on the right were scoured by the light infantry and the flankers. The open country near Tattnall's plantation was reached just before three o'clock in the afternoon. The command was halted in the highway, about two hundred paces from the gate opening into Governor Wright's plantation, and the light infantry was formed upon the right along the rail fence. Leaving the EngHsh forces in this position, we turn for a moment to General Howe's army. That officer had formed his encampment south east of Savannah, and anxiously awaited reinforcements of militia and continental troops from South Carolina. His soldiers had not yet recov ered from the pernicious influences of the Florida campaign. About a •fourth of the Georgia Continentals lay prostrate by disease, and many who were convalescing were too feeble to endure the fatigue of battle. 1 He had found it impracticable to concentrate the militia. On the day when Colonel Campbell wrestled with General Howe for the possession of Savannah, the army of the latter, exclusive of the militia, numbered
1 McCalTs History of Georgia, vol. ii, p. 169. Savannah. 1816.

ORDER OF BATTLE ANNOUNCED:

241

only six hundred and seventy-two, rank and file; while that of the former showed an aggregate present of more than two thousand. On the 28th of December general instructions were issued to prepare for action, and on the following day this order of battle was announced: " PAROLE, Firmness. The first brigade is to be told off Into sixteen platoons of an equal number of files; the odd files to be formed into one platoon on the right wing of the brigade to act as light infantry accord ing to exigencies. "Two field officers to be appointed to the command of the right wing of both brigades. " The second brigade to be told off into eight platoons of an equal number of files to be formed on the left of the first brigade in order to act as light infantry as will be directed. "Colonel Isaac Huger will command the right wing of the army com* posed of the first brigade and the light troops belonging to it. " The artillery of both brigades and the park to be posted before • and during the action as shall be directed, and defend their ground until further orders. The artillery when ordered or forced to retreat are to fall into the road leading to the western defile where Colonel Roberts is to take as advantageous a post as possible to protect the retreat of the line." The town of Savannah was approached by three principal roads: one leading from the high grounds of the Brewton Hill plantation and Thun derbolt, and forming a causeway where it crossed a morass adjacent to the town, with rice-fields to the north and wooded swamps on the south; a second, formed by the union of the White Bluff and the Ogeechee ferry highways, coming in from the south; and a third, leading westwardly across the deep swamp of Musgrove Creek, with rice-fields on the north and an extensive morass toward the south. On the morning of the spth when Colonel Elbert discovered the en emy in the act of landing, he urged upon General Howe the importance of defending Brewton Hill,1 and offered with his regiment to prevent the British from "obtaining possession of it. The strategic value of the bluff
I Then known as Girardeau's plantation.
31

" HEAD QUARTERS, SAVANNAH, December 29,1778.

342

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

was apparent, and .Colondl Elbert's intimate acquaintance with the locality would have enabled him in all probability to have defeated the enemy in his effort to effect a lodgment there. With surprising stupidity General Ho we committed the fatal blunder of rejecting this offer, and formed his army for battle on the southeast of Savannah along the crest of the high ground and in proximity to the town as it then stood. No position more apt for defense could have been selected in the en tire neighborhood than the bluff at Girardeau's plantation. A regiment there posted, and a few pieces of field artillery advantageously distributed along the brow, would have utterly shattered the advancing column of the enemy moving along a narrow rice dam half a mile in length with marish and impracticable grounds on either hand. Persisting in such, a movement, the enemy could have been torn to pieces by the plunging and enfilading fire. We marvel at the lack of observation and general ship which permitted such an opportunity to pass unimproved. The dis parity of forces rendered it all the more obligatory that every advantage should have been taken of this position. It was the key to Savannah. Once in the keeping of Colonel Campbell, the subsequent reduction of the place by means of the preponderating forces under his command be came a matter only of a short time and energetic action. Repulsed from this landing-place, and defeated in the effort to obtain a base of opera tions here, the acquisition of Savannah would have proved to the enemy a far more difficult problem. General Moultrie condemns General Howe for attempting, under the circumstances, the defense of Savannah, but omits the special censure which should properly be visited upon him for the neglect which we have pointed out He says: 1 " When General Howe perceived that the British by their movements intended a descent upon Savannah he called a council of war of his'fieldofficers to advise with them whether he should retreat from Savannah or stay and defend the town with his troojis. The majority of the council were of opinion that he should remain in Savannah and defend it to the last This was the most ill-advised, rash opinion that could possibly be given. It was absurd to suppose that 6 or 700 men, and some of them very raw troops, could stand against 2 or 3,000 as good troops as any the
s.

5

' Memoirs of the American Revolution, etc., vol. i., p. 253. New York.

1803.

LINE of
British had, and headed by Colonel Campbell, an active, brave, and ex perienced officer.. "From every information which General Howe received he was well assured that the British troops were at least that number. General Howe f should have retreated with his 6 or 700 men up the country, especially as he had certain information that General Lincoln was marching with a body of men to join him, and did actually arrive at Purisburgh on the 3rd day of January, only 4 days a^er his defeat" In this judgment after event we do- not fully sympathize. Had the landing of the enemy been properly disputed, the capture of Savannah would have been either indefinitely postponed or entirely prevented. General Howe formed line of battle across the road leading from Brewton Hill and Thunderbolt to Savannah at a point about eight hun dred yards distant from the gate leading to Governor Wright's planta tion. One brigade, consisting chiefly of the regiments of Colonels Huger and Thompson, and commanded by Colonel Huger, was disposed on the right; its left resting obliquely on the road, aad its right on a wooded swamp covered by the houses of the Tattnail plantation in which some riflemen were placed. The other brigade, consisting of parts of the first, second, third, and fourth battalions of the Georgia Continentals, under the command of Colonel Elbert, was posted upon the left; its right rest ing upon the road and its left extending to the rice-fields of Governor Wright's plantation. Behind the left wing of this brigade was the fort on the Savannah River bluff. The town of Savannah, around which were the remains of an old line of intrenchments, was in the rear of the army. -One piece of field artillery was planted on the right of the line, aad another on the left. Just where the line crossed the Thunderbolt road a traverse had been thrown up, and behind this two cannons'were posted. One hundred paces in front of this traverse, at a critical point between two swamps, a trench was cut across the road to impede the ad vance of the enemy, and, at about the same distance beyond this trench in the direction of the enemy, a marshy stream ran parallel with the Ameri can line of battle. Where it crossed the road the bridge had been burnt . In this situation General Howe waited for the approach of the Brit ish. Although informed by Colonel George Walton that there was a private way through the swamp by means of which the enemy could

244

HISTORY of SAVANNAH.

pass from the high grounds of Brewton Hill plantation and gain the rear of the American right, and although urged by him to have the same properly guarded, General Howe neglected to give any attention to the matter, thus committing another fatal error in the conduct of this impor tant affair. Falling in with an old negro man named Quamino Dolly, Colonel Campbell acquired information from him of the existence of the private path leading through the wooded swamp and debouching in the rear of the American right. He at once secured his services as a guide. The first battalion of the Seventy-first Regiment was ordered to form on the English right of the road and move up in rear of the light infantry which was extended to the right as though threatening the American left. Taking advantage of a hollow which concealed the manoeuvre, Sir James Baird was directed to conduct the light infantry quite to the Brit ish rear; and thence, passing to the left, to enter the path which led to the rear of the American right. The New York volunteers under Colo nel Trumbull were instructed to support him. While this movement was in progress the British artillery, concen trated in a field in front of the American right and sheltered from obser vation by an intervening swell in the ground, was held in readiness either to play upon the American line of battle or to open upon any force which might be detached to enter the wood and interrupt the progress of the light infantry. Wellworth's Hessian battalion was formed on the left of this artillery. Meanwhile, the Americans opened upon the enemy with cannon.' This fire provoked no reply. Sir James Baird and the light infantry, having fairly gained the rear of the right of General HoweVarmy, issued from the swamp and attacked a body of militia which had been.posted to guard the road leading to the Great Ogeechee ferry. This force was quickly put to flight At the sound of these guns Colonel Campbell ran his field- pieces to the front and opened a heavy cannonade. He at the same time ordered a vigorous charge all along his line. Attacked in front and rear the patriots soon gave way. A retreat was sounded. A panic ensued, and the Americans made their way, as best they could, and in a confused manner, through the town. Before the retiring army gained the head of the causeway over Musgrove's swamp, west of Savan-

DEFEAT OF THE CONTINENTAL TROOPS.

245

nah—the only pass by which a retreat was practicable,—the enemy se cured a position to interrupt the crossing. By extraordinary exertions Colonel -Roberts kept the British in check until the center of the army made its escape. The American right flank being between two fires suf fered severely. The left, under the command of Colonel Elbert, con tinued the conflict with such gallantry that a retreat by the causeway be came impracticable. That officer therefore attempted to lead his troops through the rice-fields between the Springfield causeway and the river. In doing so he encountered a heavy fire from the enemy, who had taken possession of the causeway and of the adjacent high grounds of Ewensburg. Reaching Musgrove Creek, Colonel Elbert found it filled with water, for the tide was high. Consequently, only those of his command^ who could swim succeeded in crossing, and this they did with the loss of their arms and accoutrements. The others were either drowned or ' captured. The Georgia militia, about one hundred in number, posted in rear' of the right of the American line on the South Common, and commanded by Colonel George Walton, received the shock of the column led by Sir James Baird. The conflict was spirited, but of short duration. Colonel Walton, wounded,1 fell from his horse and was captured. Pressed by Sir James Baird frotn the southeast, this command in retreating into the town was met by the-enemy in hot pursuit of the fugitive array of Gen eral Howe. It suffered terribly, and was wholly killed, wounded, or captured. Some of its members—inhabitants of Savannah—were bayo ' neted in the streets by their victorious pursuers.2 As soon as Sir Hyde Parker perceived the impression made upon the American line by Colonel Campbell, he quickly moved his small armed vessels up to the town, sending the Comet galley as far as the ebb tide would permit. Thus all the shipping at the wharves was taken, and Sa vannah was cut off from communication with South Carolina. His squadron captured one hundred and twenty-six prisoners, three ships, three brigs, and eight smaller vessels. The only loss experienced by him consisted of one seaman killed and five sailors wounded.3
1 Colonel Walton received a shot in the thigh from which he never entirely recovered Y " Charlton's Life of Jackson, p. 13.. Augusta. iSop. •See McCalTs History of Georgia, vol. ii., p. 175. Savannah. 1816. •See Stereo's ffistety of Getvgia, vol il. p. 177. Philadelphia, 1859. <

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.
Having vainly endeavored to rally his routed'army on the high ground west of Musgrove's swamp, General Howe retreated to Cherokee Hill, about eight miles from Savannah, where he halted until the strag glers could come up. From this point he dispatched Lieutenant Tennill with orders to Lieutenant Aaron Smith, of the Third South Carolina Regiment commanding at Ogeechee Ferry, and to Major Lane, com manding at Sunbury, to evacuate their posts and join the army at Sis* ter*s and Zubly's ferries. After a march of thirty-six hours, through a swampy region, Lieutenant Smith, with twenty men, joined a detach ment of the rear guard of the army' at Ebenezer. Persuaded by Captain Dollar, commanding a corps of artillery, and by many of the leading inhabitants of Sunbury who regarded his with drawal as fatal to all their hopes of safety, Major Lane deliberately dis obeyed these orders. He was subsequently captured by General Prevost", and, upon his release and return to the army, was tried by a courtmarttal and dismissed from service for this improper conduct From Cherokee Hill General Howe marched up the Savannah River to Sister's and Zubly's ferries where he crossed over into South Carolina, I* ~ ( abandoning Georgia to her fate, "^g f In this disastrous and sadly conducted affair the Americans lost (eighty-three killed and drowned. 1 Thirty-eight officers and four hunfdned and fifteen non-commissioned officers and privates were made capVjive. Among the prisoners were many sick who had not participated in the unfortunate engagement Forty-eight pieces of cannon, twentythree mortars, ninety-four barrels of powder, a fort, the shipping in port, and, above all, the'capital of Georgia were among the substantial tro phies of this victory.2 • r- Wonderful to relate, the loss sustained by the British consisted of I only one captain and two privates killed, and one sergeant and nine pri\vates wounded. Although Colonel Campbell reported that "every possible care was
1 Colonel Campbell says, in his report to Lord George Germain, that eighty-three Americans were found dead upon the common, and eleven wounded, and that he learned from the prisoners that thirty were drowned in the swamp in attempting to make their escape. Gentleman's Magarim for 1779, p. 179. * For a full enumeration of the articles captured, see Stedman's History of tJu Ameri can War, vol. iL, p. 71. London. 1794.

OUTRAGES COMMITTED.

247

taken of the houses in. town," and that " few or no depredations oc curred," and although he would have Lord George Germain to believe that many of the respectable inhabitants of Savannah at once flocked to the king's standard, the truth is the houses of all rebels were given up to the spoiler. Brutal outrages were committed by both officers and men. Prisoners were alternately threatened and persuaded, and such as reso lutely refused to enlist in the British army were immured in prison ships where they suffered the privations and the tortures of the damned. Among the victims of British vengeance who were consigned to such horrid confinement may be mentioned "Rev. Moses Alien,1 chaplain to the Georgia brigade and as pure a patriot as dwelt within the confines of the State, who lost his life in attempting to regain his liberty by swimming to land,— and the venerable Jonathan Bryan,— bending beneath the weight of years and many infirmities, yet proud in spirit and unswerving in his devotion to the principles of American freedom.2 The names of the Nancy, Captain Samnel Tait, the Whitby, Captain Lawson, the El eanort Captain Rathbone, and the Munificence will always be associated with memories of privation, suffering, inhumanity, and death. What Colonel Henry Lee calls the "supineness" exhibited by General Ho we in not discovering and guarding the by-way leading to the rear of his line of battle, as well as .his general conduct in the affair of the 99th of December, have been severely criticised and censured. They became subjects of serious inquiry by the General Assembly of Georgia. A committee of investigation was raised which, on the i/th of January, 1780, submitted the following report: "The Committee appointed to take into consideration the situation of the State since the 29th of De cember, 1778, report that the Capital and troops in this State were sac rificed on the said 29th of December, which was the first cause of the distresses and consequences which ensued. Your Committee are of opin ion that the delegates of this State should be directed to promote a trial of Major-General Howe who commanded on that day. They find that the good people of the State were still further discouraged by the said
* Captain McCall states that when his daughter entreated Commodore Parker to miti gate the sufferings Of her aged parent, she was dismissed with vulgar rudeness and con tempt History of Geergia, voL iL, p. 176. Savannah. 1816.
1 Ramsay's History of tht Revolution of South Carolina, voL iu, p. 7. MDCCLXXXV. Trenton.

248

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

A

.V

Major-General Howe crossing Savanaah River the next day with the troops that escaped from Savannah, and ordering those at Sunbury and Augusta to do the same ; leaving the State at the mercy of the enemy without any Continental troops: instead of retreating to the back coun try and gathering the inhabitants. The country, thus abandoned, be came an easy prey to the British troops, they marching up and taking post at Augusta and sending detachments to every part of the State." A court of inquiry was held; and although General Howe was ac quitted, Jus military reputation never recovered from the shadow cast upon it by the loss of the capital of Georgia.

V

CHAPTER XX.
Proclamations of Colonels Innis and Campbell and Admiral Parker—Return of Gov ernor Wright—Divided Government in Georgia— The French Alliance—Count d'£«taing — Preparations by the Allied Army to Dislodge the English from Savannah—Siege of Savannah in September and October, 1779.

PON the capture of Savannah, Colonel Innis, aid-de-camp to Sir Henry Clinton, who had accompanied the expedition, was assigned to the immediate command of the town. He at once issued a proclama tion requiring the inhabitants of Savannah and of the adjacent region to bring in their arms, ammunition, and accoutrements of every sort, and" surrender them to the military storekeeper. They were also enjoined to reveal the places where arms and stores were buried or secreted, under penalty that if, upon search, such articles should be found, the parties owning the houses or plantations where such concealments occurred, should be regarded and punished as enemies to the royal government. Trade regulations were established, and special places were designated for the incoming and the departure of boats. For entry or departure a permit from the superintendent of the port was requisite. A violation of these regulations involved confiscation of boats and cargoes, and pun ishment of the crews, On the 4th of January, 1779, Lieutenant-Colonel Campbell and Sir

U

PROCLAMATIONS/

249,

Hyde Parker united in a proclamation setting forth the fact that a fleet and army had arrived in Georgia for the protection of the friends of law* ful government, and to rescue them from the bloody persecution of their deluded fellow-citizens. All well-disposed inhabitants " who reprobated the idea of supporting a French league, and wished to embrace the happy occasion of cementing a firm union with the Parent State free from the imposition of taxes by the Parliament of Great Britain, and secured in the irrevocable enjoyment of every privilege consistent with that union of force on which their material interests depended," were assured that they would meet with the most ample protection on condition that they forthwith returned to the class of peaceful citizens and acknowledged their just allegiance to the Crown. Against those who should attempt to oppose the reestablishment of legal government the rigors of war were denounced. Persons desiring to avail themselves 'of the benefits of this proclama tion were invited to repair to Savannah, and, as an evidence of their sin cerity, to subscribe the following oath: " I . . . do solemnly swear that I will bear true and faithful allegiance to his Majesty King George the Third, my lawful Sovereign, and that I will, at all risks, stand forth in support of his person and government And I do solemnly disclaim and renounce that unlawful and iniquitous confederacy called the Gene ral Continental Congress, also the claim set up by them to independency, and all obedience to them, and all subordinate jurisdictions-assumed by or under their authority. AH this I do sincerely promise without equiv ocation or mental reservation whatever. So help me God." A week afterwards another proclamation was issued, offering " a re ward of ten guineas for every committee and assembly man taken within the limits of Georgia," and "two guineas for every lurking villiah who might be sent from Carolina to molest the inhabitants." 1 Prices were prescribed for all articles of merchandise, country produce, and vegeta bles. A violation of the rules of trade, thus established, was punished \ by confiscation of the articles exposed to sale. Licenses to traffic were granted only to those who had taken the oath of allegiance; and a pen alty of one hundred pounds sterling was recoverable from every mer1 See letter of Colonel Campbell to Lord George Germain, dated Savannah, January 16,1779; Gentleman's Magazine for 1779, p. 177(

250

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

chant dealing with one disloyal to the king. No produce of any kind cojild be exported without a certificate from the superintendent of the port that it was not wanted for the use of the king's soldiers. To the families of those who maintained their devotion to the American cause, whether in camp or on board prison ships, no mercy was shown. Stripped of property, their homes rendered desolate, often left without food and clothing, they were thrown upon the charity of an impoverished commu nity. The entire coast region of Georgia, with the exception of Sunbury, was now open to the enemy who overran and exacted a most i stringent tribute. Never was change more sudden or violent wrought i in the status of any pedple. Writing from Purrysburg, on the loth of January, 1779, to Colonel C. C. Pinckney, General Moultrie mentions that thousands of poor women, children, and negroes were fleeing from Georgia, they knew not whither, "sad spectacle that moved the hearts of his soldiers." ! Governor Wright returned to Savannah on the I4th of July, 1779, and, six days afterward, resumed the reins of government * From this time forward, until its evacuation by the king's forces on the I ith of July, 1782, the town-remained *in the possession of the British. It was known as the capital of loyal Georgia, while the seat of government, fixed upon by the Republicans, was Augusta. There was little that Sir James could do, and most limited was the establishment of civil authority which he found himself able to accomplish. The situation of Savannah during the rest of the war was isolated to the last degree. During the lull which preceded the gathering storm, the thunders of which were soon to shake the foundations of the city of Oglethorpe, Gov ernor Wright at Savannah, supported by the King's army, was striving to re-create the royal government, and to lead back the inhabitants of Southern Georgia to a complete and an orderly submission to British rule. ,At Augusta, on the other hand, the members of the Supreme Executive Council—invested with unlimited powers yet sadly deficient in ail mate rial appliances—were endeavoring to perpetuate the sovereignty of a re publican state just born into the sisterhood of nations, and to arm, feed,
1 Memoirs of the American Revolution, etc., vol. L, p, 259. New York, 1802. / ' See his letter to Lord George Germain. under date Savannah in Georgia the 3151 of -Ju4y, 1779. P, R. O. Am, <£* W, ftuf., vol. 237.

i.

FRENCH ASSISTANCE.
'and clothe a patriot band,—-few in numbers yet brave of heart,—fighting for home, property, and liberty. ' Stern and relentless was the conflict between the republican oligarchy and the English monarchy. For a long time the odds were decidedly in favor of the latter. The treaties of commerce and alliance with Louis the Sixteenth were, by the Continental Congress, unanimously ratified on the 4th of May, 1778. Frenchmen were welcomed as the best friends of America, and the king of France was proclaimed " the protector of the rights of man kind." Profound acknowledgements were rendered to a gracious Provi dence for raising up so powerful an ally. The independence of the Uni ted Colonies was now regarded as no longer in doubt, and there was great joy throughout the length and breadth of the land. Arriving too late to overtake the squadron and transports of Lord Howe on their retreat from Philadelphia, Admiral the Count d'Estaing, with his twelve ships of the line and the three frigates, followed his enemy to the north and for some time anchored within Sandy Hook; where he intercepted British merchantmen bound for New York. Subsequently baffled at Newport in his attempt to force an action with the English fleet, and sorely endamaged by a hurricane, the French admiral repaired to Boston, and thence sailed for the protection of the French Windward Islands/ In January, 1779, so completely was maritime superiority in that quarter transferred to England by the'arrival of strong reinforcements under Admiral Byron, that for six months D'Estaing was forced to.shel ter his fleet within the bay of Port Royal. Taking advantage of the absence of the British admiral who was con voying a fleet of merchant ships through the passages, the French count, in gallant style, reduced both St Vincent and Grenada; and afterwards, . in a running fight, so crippled the returned British squadron that the superiority of France was reestablished in those waters. It was just at this favorable moment that letters came from M. Gerard, the French minister, General Lincoln, and M. Plombard, the French consul at Charleston, entreating Count d'Estaing to cooperate with the American forces for the capture of Savannah. In this solicitation Gov ernor Rutlcdge earnestly joined. Exulting in the victory which he had recently won over Lord Macartney at Grenada, rejoicing in the restora tion of French supremacy in the West ladies, anxious to retrieve the

"* TV*. -

252

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

military fortunes which had miscarried during his demonstrations on the American coast the previous year, and acting within the general instruc tions he had received from his home government, Count d'Estaing readily yielded to this request and entered heartily into the scheme for dislodg ing'the enemy from Savannah. Sailing from the Windward Islands he reached the coast of Georgia on the 1st of September, 1779, with a fleet consisting of twenty-two ships of the line, ten frigates, and one cutter. Several barges, transport schooners, and American vessels accompanied the expedition. So sudden and unexpected was this descent that several English vessels, wholly unconscious of impending danger, were captured at and near the mouth of the Savannah River. The Viscount de Fontanges, adjutant-general of the army, was at once dispatched by the count in the frigate Amazont commanded by the fam ous navigator La Perouse, to proceed to Charlestown and arrange with General Lincoln and the American authorities a suitable plan of opera tions. He arrived at that city on the 4th of September, and a concert oi action was quickly agreed upon. Boats were sent from Charlestown to assist in landing troops, ordnance, and stores. Colonel Cambray, of the engineers, Colonel Thomas Pinckney, aid to General Lincoln, Captain Gadsden, and a few other intelligent officers were detailed to return with the viscount and assist the admiral in consummating his landing upon the Georgia coast At Ossabaw Count d'Estaing was to be met by Colonel Joseph Habersham, who proceeded thither to join the fleet and indicate a proper place for the debarkation of the troops. The French fleet, which had been somewhat scattered by a rough sea and high winds, was entirely united on the 4th. On the 9th D'Estaing, on board the CJtimtre, accompanied by three other frigates, forced a pas sage across the bar of the Savannah River. Upon the approach of these war vessels the English ships Rose, Fowey, Keppel, and Germain^ the Comet, a galley, and several small craft which had been lying in Tybee Roads, weighed anchor and retired to Five-Fa thorn Hole. From Fort Tybee—located near the light-house on the northern extremity of Great Tybee Island, designed to guard the entrance into Savannah River, and armed with a twenty-four-pounder gun and an eight-and-a-half-inch howitzer—fire was opened upon the French squadron, but it proved en tirely innocuous. A detachment of troops was thrown upon the island.

FRENCH FLEET AT SAVANNAH.

253

Fort Tybce was immediately abandoned by its garrison, which succeeded in effecting its escape. After occupying the island during the night, and finding it entirely deserted by the enemy, the detachment Was withdrawn the next morning. On Saturday, the nth, the fleet rendezvoused in Ossabaw Sound, and at nine o'clock the next evening twelve hundred men, selected from various regiments, were successfully landed at Beaulieu. 1 At this point, formerly the residence of Colonel William Stephens, a small force of thef enemy, with two field-pieces, had been stationed. It was withdrawn, however, on the appearance of the fleet, and no opposition was encount ered by the boats conveying the-troops from the ships. The further de barkation of the land army was interrupted for several days by high winds, which, increasing to a gale, compelled many of the ships to slip their cables and seek the open sea. Several vessels were seriously in jured, and the anchorage which they were forced to abandon was not fairly regained by all of them until the 2Oth. Wednesday, the 15th, proving a calm day, the' boats from the vessels within convenient reach were busily occupied in landing additional troops. The same day the twelve hundred men first put on shore advanced from Beaulieu and formed a new camp three miles from Savannah. This little army was composed of three divisions. The center was commanded by D'Estaing, the right by Dillon, and the left by Noailles.2 On the nth the frigate Amazon, of thirty-six guns, commanded by Perouse had, after a gallant resistance offered on the part of the English commander, succeeded in capturing the Ariel of twenty-four guns. Some two weeks afterwards his majesty's ship Experiment, which had lost her bowsprit and masts in a gale of wind encountered on her pas' Also spelled Bewlie. * In a MS. journal of the siege of Savannah in 1779 (now before us, and purchased at the Luzarche sale in Paris), kept by an unknown French officer who was evidently *~ present during all the movements antecedent to, involved in, and consequent upon that memorable event, this first encampment of the French army, three miles from Savan nah, is thus identified: '' The command of the General in the center towards Mi*h*w, that of Dillon on the right at Jonshaus, and that of Noailles on the left, at Brisqhatao." These names have so entirely faded from the memory of the present that the localities which they once designated cannot now be identified. Manifestly the position was southeast of Savannah. . -

254

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

sage from New York to Savannah, the Myrtle, a navy victualer, and the store-ship Champion were also captured. This encampment of the French army being established, reinforcements were rapidly pushed for ward as they were landed at Beaulieu. It will be remembered that Savannah could not then boast of more than four hundred and thirty houses. Most of them were wooden struc tures. Using the present names of the streets, the boundaries of the town were the Bay on the north, Lincoln street on the east, South Broad street on the south, and Jefferson street on the west. Outside the limits indicated were some scattering abodes, and these appeared principally on the east and west Count Pulaski, who, after General Prevost's retreat from South Car'olina, had taken post on a ridge fifty miles northeast of Augusta that he might the more readily obtain provisions for and restore the health of his legion, and at the same time be within supporting distance of either Charlestown or Augusta as occasion required, was ordered to join Gen eral Lachlan Mclntosh at the latter place. With this united command General Mclntosh was directed to move towards Savannah in advance of the army under General Lincoln which was approaching from the di rection of Charlestown, attack the British outposts, and establish com munication with the French troops on the coast Pressing forward, Count Pulaski cut off one of the enemy's pickets, killing and wounding five men and capturing a subaltern and five privates. Skirmishing with' the British outposts, he hastened onward toward Beaulieu in the midst of a heavy rain. There he found Count d'Estaing. In the language of Captain Bentalou, these officers " cordially embraced and expressed mu tual happiness at the meeting.'' Count Pulaski was then informed by the French admiral that he intended, without waiting for General Lin coln, to move at once upon Savannah, and that " he counted on his Leg ion to form his van." " In pursuance of this wish," continues Bentalou, " we set out immediately and reached Savannah some time before d'Es taing, where we engaged and cut off an advanced picket of the enemy's infantry." 1 1 Reaching the vicinity of Savannah in advance of the forces under General Lincoln, General Mclntosh occupied a position between the
1 A Reply to Judge Johnson's Remarks, etc., p. 33. Baltimore. 1836.

ADVANCE ON SAVANNAH.

255

town and Great Ogeechee ferry,1 And there awaited the concentration of the allied armies. During the 12th and the 13th General Lincoln was engaged in cross ing his command over the Savannah at Zubly's Ferry. Considerable delay was experienced in consequence of the fact that the enemy had either secured or destroyed most of the boats on the river. On the af ternoon of the 13th General Mclntosh formed a junction with the ad vance guard of Lincoln's army; and on the night of the i$th the two commands, now wholly united, encamped at Cherokee Hill. On the 16th of September and prior to the arrival of the American forces under General Lincoln, Count d'Estaing, accompanied by the grenadiers of Auxerrois and the chasseurs of Champagne and of Guade loupe, sent to Major-General Augustine Prevost, commanding the Brit ish army, this summons requiring a surrender of Savannah to the king of France: " Count d'Estaing summons his Excellency General Prevost to sur render himself to the arms of his Majesty the king of France. He ad monishes him that he will be personally answerable for every event and misfortune attending a defence demostrated to be absolutely impossible and useless from the superiority of the force which attacks him by land and sea. He also warns him that he will be nominally and personally answerable henceforward for the burning, previous to or at the hour of attack, of any ships or vessels of war or merchant ships in the Savannah River, as well as of magazines in the town. "The situation of the Morne de 1'Hopital in Grenada, the strength of the three redoubts which defended it, the disproportion betwixt the num ber of the French troops now before Savannah and the inconsiderable detachment which took Grenada by assault, should be a lesson for the fu ture. Humanity requires that Count d'Estaing should remind you of it After this he can have nothing, with which to reproach himself. *' Lord Macartney had the good fortune to escape in person on the first onset of troops forcing a town sword in hand, but having shut up his valuable effects in a fort deemed impregnable by all his officers and en gineers, it was impossible for Count d'Estaing to be happy enough to 1 ' prevent the whole from being pillaged."
1 At Millen's plantation.

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256

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

To this threatening and pompous demand Major-General Prevost thus responded: ''SAVANNAH, September r6th, 1779. " SIR,—I am just now honored with yoor Excellency's letter of this date, containing a summons for me to surrender this town to the arms of his Majesty the King of France, which I had just delayed to answer till I had shown it to the King's Civil Governor. 1 " I hope your Excellency will have a better opinion of me and of . British troops than to think either will surrender on general summons without any specific terms. ' "If you, Sir, have any to propose that may with honor be accepted of by me, you can mention them both with regard to civil and military, and I will then give my answer. In the meantime I promise upon my honor that nothing with my consent or knowledge shall be destroyed in either this town or river."
The following is Count d'Estaing's reply:

'

"CAMP BEFORE SAVANNAH, September i6tk, 1779. " SIR],—I have just received your Excellency's answer to the letter I had the honor of writing to you this morning. You are. sensible that it is the part of the Besieged to propose such terms as they may desire, and you cannot doubt of the satisfaction I shall have in consenting to those which I can accept consistently with my duty. " I am informed that you continue intrenching yourself. It is a mat ter of very little importance to me. However, for form's sake, I must desire that you will desist during our conferences. " The different columns, which I had ordered to stop, will continue their march, but without approaching your posts or reeonnoitering your situation. *•
" P. S. * I apprize your Excellency that I have not been able to

refuse the Army of the United States uniting itself with that of the King. The junction will probably be effected this day. If I have not an answer therefore immediately, you must confer in the future with * General Lincoln and me."
1 Governor Sir James ^Wright, who counseled resistance to the last extremity.

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To this General Prevost prompdy responded : , *55^VAJ»NAH, September itioi, 1779. " SIR,—I am honored jjfgj^'our Excellency's letter in reply to mine of this day. The busin^j^we have in hand being of importance, there being various interests to4rtscusfi, a just time is absolutely necessary to de liberate. I am therefore to propose that a cessation of hostilities shall take place for twenty-four hours front tibis date: and to request that your Excellency will order your columns to fall back to a greater distance and out of sight of our works or I shall think myself under die necessity to direct their being fired upon. If they did not reconnoitre anything this afternoon, they were sure within die distance." Without waiting to advise with General Lincoln in regard to the propriety of granting Genej$i Prevost's request} <£otrat d'Estaing impru dently replied as: /:, T-*j.'K--? -: *'•'-. •"'•'•& '" ' -i?!*" 1 --""! .-:'> l^5lT!''' :r/"--',*"-'••
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thesignal for retreat announce die to observe to your ExcetteAcy that this suapeaaioB of arms fa entirely ra yow fevor, since I cannot be certain that yoo wiD not make use of it to fortify your self, at the same time that die propositions you shall make may be inad missible. " I must observe to you also how important it is that you should be fully aware of your own situation as well as diat of the troops under your command. Be assured that I am thoroughly acquainted with it Your knowledge in military affairs will not suffer you to be ignorant that a due examination of that circumstance always precedes the march of the col umns, and that this preliminary is not carried into execution by the mere show of troops. • *' I have ordered them to withdraw before night comes on to prevent any cause of complaint on your part I understand that my dviHty hi this respect has been th« occasion diat&e Chevalier de Cbambis, a lieu tenant in the ^a*^, has been made*"prisoner of war. " I propose sending out some smaff'fcikinrifi ggsts to-morrow morn ing. They wtO place themselves in such a situation as to have in view

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25 8

HISTORY or SAVANNAH.

the four entrances into the wood in order to prevent a similar mistake in future. I do not know whether two columns commanded by the Vis count de Noailles and the Count de Dlllon have shown too much ardor, or whether your cannoniers have not paid a proper respect to the truce subsisting between us: but this I know, that what has happened this night is a proof that matters will soon come to a decision between us one way or another." The junction of General Lincoln's forces with those of Count d'Estaing was effected before the lines of Savannah on the i6th September, 1779. The Americans were in high spirits. With the cooperation of the French it was confidently believed that the discomfiture of the English garrison, and the capture of Savannah would prove a certain and easy task. ' No fears of possible misadventure were entertained. The French camp, which at first was pitched southeast of the town, was quickly changed and lo cated almost directly south of Savannah: Its front was well-nigh parallel with the streets running east and west General de Dillon commanded the right, Count d'Estaing the center, and the Count de Noailles the left. General Lincoln's command was posted to the southwest; the front of his line looking nearly east, and his rear protected by the Springfield plantation swamp. About midway between these armies, and looking directly north, was the cavalry camp of Count Pulaski. Fatal was the error committed by the French admiral in consenting to this suspension of hostilities for the space of twenty-four hours. When the French fleet first appeared off the Georgia coast the English had but twenty-three pieces of cannon mounted upon their works around Savannah. On the morning of the assault one hundred more were in position. It would seem that for some months after the capture of Savannah in December, 1778, the English did not materially alter or strengthen the works which the Americans had constructed for the protec tion of the southern, eastern, and westerm exposures of the town. So soon, however, as this crisis was upon them the utmost activity was displayed. Lieutenant-Colonel Cruger, with his detachment, was withdrawn from Sunbury. Troops were recalled from outlying posts, and Colonel Maitland was ordered to move promptly for the relief of Savannah. In ad dition to the garrison, between four and five hundred negroes were put' to work upon the lines. The war vessels in the river were stripped d

SIEGE or SAVANNAH.
their batteries that they might arm the earthworks. So rapidly did the labor progress that before the French and Americans opened fire from their trenches the British had raised around the town thirteen substantial redoubts and fifteen gun-batteries mounting eighty pieces of cannon. These batteries were manned by sailors from the Fowey, the Rose, and the Keppel, and by mariners and volunteers from other ships and transports in the river. Besides these guns in fixed position field-pieces were distribu ted at intervals. Ships were sunk both above and below the town to oc clude the channel and prevent (the near approach of the American and French vessels of war. Captain Moncrieff, the engineer officer in charge, displayed a degree of pluck, energy and skill, worthy of all commendation. When summoned to the relief of Savannah Colonel Maitland was at Beaufort with a detachment of eight hundred men. Arriving at Dawfuskie on the evening of the if th he found the Savannah River in the posses sion of the French, and his further progress by the customary water route checked. While thus embarrassed, chance threw in his way some negro fishermen familiar with the creeks permeating the marshes, who informed him of a passage known as Wall's Cut, through Scull Creek, navigable by small boats at high water. A favoring tide and a dense fog enabled him unperceived by the French, to conduct his command successfully through this unaccustomed avenue. On the afternoon of the I7th he reached Sa vannah. "The acquisition of this formidable reinforcement," says Cap tain McCall, "headed by an experienced and brave officer, effected a complete change in the dispirited garrison. A signal was made, and three cheers were given, which rung from one end of the town to the other." l So soon as Colonel Maitland was fairly within the town General Prevost, who had temporized that this most desirable acquisition to his forces might be secured, responded thus :

" SAVANNAH, September i//>fc, 1779.
*' StR,—In answer to the letter of your Excellency which I had the honor to receive about twelve last night, I am to acquaint you that hav1 It is a noteworthy fact that during the late war between the States this Wall's Cut afforded the United States gun-boats the means of entering the Savannah River hi rear •of Fort Pulaski without encountering the fire of its guns, thereby completely isolating that fortification, and covering Federal working parties engaged in the erection 6f in vesting batteries at Venus' Point and on the north end of Bird's Island.

HISTORY of SAVANNAH.
laid the whole correspondence before the King's Civil Governor and the military officers of rank, assembled in Council of War, the unanimous determination has been that though we cannot look upon our post as ab solutely impregnable, yet that it may and ought to be defended : 1 there fore the evening gun to be fired this evening at an hour before sundown shall be the signal for recommencing hostilities agreeable to your Excel lency's proposal,'' Grave was the mistake committed .by Count d'Estaing in not insist ing upon an immediate reply to his summons for surrender. So confi dent was he of success that he would not await the arrival of General Lin coln. Ambitious for the triumph of French arms without the coopera tion of the American forces, he sought to monopolize the prize he re*ckoned within his grasp. So thoroughly did he regard the British garri son as within the range of facile capture that he acceded to the request for delay, little appreciating the disastrous consequences which would ensue from thus toying with his enemy. Intelligent British officers who were present at the siege admitted, when it was over, that the French army alone ctmld have carried Savannah in ten minutes without the aid of artillery, had an assault been made at the earliest moment The energy and skill displayed by the English in strengthening the old works, in erecting new ones, in dismantling the vessels of war in,the river and placing their guns in battery to the south, east, and west of Sa vannah, and, above all, the introduction of Colonel Mainland's forces into the town at a most opportune moment, reflect great credit upon those charged with the defense. If, instead of parleying, D'Estaing had insisted upon a prompt re sponse to his summons for surrender, the probability is that Prevost would have acceded to his demand. Had he refused there is little doubt but that the investing army, if immediately put in motion, would have swept laver the incomplete intrenchments and restored the capital of Georgia to, fche possession of the Revolutionists. He was outwitted by the English fcommander. The accorded delay proved fatal to the enterprise.
1 This resolution to defend Savannah, it is claimed by the friends of Governor Wright, would not have been formed except for his vote and determined persuasion in the coun, til of war then held. Sabine's Loyalists of tke American Revolution, vol. ii., p. 458. Boston. 1864.

SIEGE OF SAVANNAH.

261

Disappointed in his expectation of an immediate sttrre nder of Savan nah, advised of the arrival of the reinforcement under Co onel Maitland, and doubting the propriety of an assault. D'Estaing resolved to resort to the slower process of a reduction by regular siege and gradual approaches. To this end, and that the town might be absolutely invested on the south, the French commander moved his forces up to within twelve hundred yards of the English lines. The encampment, thus formed, exhibited a front of thirty-two hundred yards. The American troops under Lincoln formed the left of the line, resting upon the swamp which bordered the town on the west Then came the division of M. de Noailles composed of nine hun dred men of the regiments of Champagne, Auxerrois, Foix, Guadeloupe, and Martinique. D'Estaing's division, comprising one thousand men of the regiments of Cambresis, Hainault, the volunteers of Berges, Agenois, Gatinois, the Cape, and Port au Prince, with the artillery, was on the right of Noailles and formed the center of the French army. Dillon's division, composed of nine hundred men of the regiments of Dillon, Armagnac, and the Volunteer Grenadiers, was po&ted on the right of D'Estaing. To the ^right of Dillon's division were the powder magazine, the cattle depot, and a small field hospital. On the right and a little in advance of the depot were the quarters of the dragoons of Conde and of Belzunce, num bering fifty men and commanded by M. Dejean. Upon the same align ment and to the right of the dragoons was M. de Rouvrai, with his Vol unteer Chasseurs numbering seven hundred and fifty men. Still to the right, and two hundred yards in advance of M. de Rouvrai, was M. des Framais commanding the Grenadier Volunteers and two hundred men_Q/ different regiments. He effectually closed the right of the army and rested upon the swamp which bounded the city on the east. It will be perceived by these dispositions, which were concluded on the $2& of September, that Savannah was completely isolated on the land side. The frjgate La TruiU and two galleys lay in the river within cannon shot of the town. That all communication with the islands, formed by the numerous river mouths, might be effectually cut off, the frigate La • Chimere and the armed store-ship La BricoU were judiciously posted. A large and beautiful house at Thunderbolt was occupied and used as a hospital. From this time forward Thunderbolt was substituted in

HISTORV OF SAVAJTNAH.
the stead of Beaulieu as a more convenient point for holding converse with the fleet The ships Rose and Savannah and four transports, sunk by the Eng lish in a narrow part of the river channel a few miles below the town, pre vented the French from bringing up their heavy-armed vessels to coop erate 'in the siege. Small craft sunk above Savannah and a boom stretched across the river did not allow the near approach of the galleys which, passing up the North River round Hutchinson's Island, purposed an attack from that direction. Guns mounted upon the bold bluff served also to protect the northern exposure of Savannah from a close and effectual fire. ' The American forces concentrated under the command of General Lincoln numbered about twenty-one hundred men of all arms. After' the arrival of Colonel Maitland and his command the British force within the lines of Savannah may be safely estimated at twenty-five hundred men. The siege had now fairly begun, and the French were earnestly em ployed in landing additional troops from the fleet, and in transporting cannon, mortars, and ammunition for the bombardment of the town. Guarded by deep and impracticable swamps on the east and west, and with a river in front which the enemy had occluded above and be low so as to prevent the near approach of the French war vessels, the attention of General Prevost was directed to fortifying the southern ex posure of Savannah. Upon the deployment of the French army before the town the British had thrown up an intrenchment and several bat teries, the front of which was obstructed by abatis. These works were strengthened by three redoubts located triangularly at the western ex tremity of the line, two mortar batteries, each mounting three or four pieces, and two redoubts erected on the left of the intrenchments. Dur ing the progress of the siege these fortifications, extending entirely across the high ground south of the town from the low grounds on the east to the swamp on the west and bending back on either hand to the river, were vastly improved. In the river, at the northwestern extremity of the town, were stationed a frigate, with a battery of nine-pounder guns, and two galleys armed with eighteen- pounders. General Prevost's first disposition of troops was made in accordance with the following orders issued on the 9th of September :

-"T*-VV^' '" T"^

SlEGK OP SAVANNAH.

263

" The regiment of Wissenbach to take their ground of encampment; 1 likewise the 2nd battalion of General Delancey's. 2 In case of an alarm, which will be known by the beating to arms both at the Barracks and main guard, the troops are to repair to their several posts without con fusion or tumult " Captain Stuart of the British Legion will take post with his men in the work on the right near the river. The main guard to be relieved by convalescents from the Hessians. "Major Wright's corps to send their convalescents in the old fort* Twenty-four men in the small redoubt, and seventy men in the left flank redoubt upon the road to Tattnall's. " The militia to assemble in rear of the Barracks. " The Light Infantry, the Dragoons, and Carolina Light Horse as a f reserve, two hundred yards behind the Barracks. "The King's Rangers, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Brown, in the small redoubt on the right, with fifty men: the remainder extending towards the larger redoubt on the right "The Carojinians divided equally in the two large redoubts. "The Battalion men of the 6oth Regiment in the right redoubt The Grenadiers on the left, extending along the abatis towards the Bar racks ; the Hessians on their left, so as to fill up the space to the Barracks. " On the left of the Barracks, the 3rd battalion of Skinner's, Gen eral Delancey's, and the New York Volunteers; and on their left the 71st Regiment lining the abatis to the left flank redoubt on the road to Tattnall's. "If all orders are silently and punctually obeyed, the General makes no doubt that, if the enemy should attempt to make an attack, they will ' be repulsed and the troops maintain their former well acquired reputa tion ; nor will it be the first time that British and Hessian troops have beat a greater superiority of both French and Americans than it is proba- . ble they will have to encounter on this occasion. .The General repeats his firm reliance on the spirit and steady coolness of the troops he has • the honor to command." 4 Upon the safe entry in Savannah of the reinforcements under the
1 In the center.

* On the left of the center.

* See original order book of General Prerort.

1 On the extreme left.

264

HISTORY or SAVANNAH.

command of Colonel Maitland, and when hostilities were about to be commenced in earnest, General Prevost published this general order:
"CAMP BEFORE SAVANNAH, IJth September, 1779.

"Parole, Maitland. Countersign, St George. Field officers for to morrow, Lieutenant-Colonel Cruger and Major Graham. " The troops to be under arms this afternoon at four o'clock. As the enemy is now very near, an attack may be hourly expected. The Gen eral therefore desires that the whole may be in instant readiness. By the known steadiness and spirit of the troops he has the most unlimited de pendence, doubting nothing of a glorious victory should the enemy try their strength. What is it that may not, by the blessing of God, be ex pected from the united efforts of British sailors and soldiers and valiant Hessians against an enemy that they have often beat before? "In case of a night attack, the General earnestly requests the utmost silence to be observed, and attention to the officers, who will be careful that the men do not throw away their fire at random, and warn them ear * nestly not to fire until ordered." 1 Both armies now prepared for the final struggle. Guns from the French fleet were landed at Thunderbolt, whence they were transported to the lines before Savannah and placed in position as rapidly as batteries and platforms could be made ready for their reception. The English^ were delighted at the turn which affairs had taken, and Prevost's chief engi neer declared that if the allied army would only resort to the spade and the tedious operations incident to regular approaches and a bombard-" ment he would pledge himself to accomplish a successful defense of the • ' town. On Wednesday, the 22d, M. de Guillaume, of Noailles's division, at tempted, with fifty picked men, to ca*pture an advanced post of the enemy. He was repulsed by a lively fire of artillery and musketry. At three o'clock in the afternoon of the following day a trench was opened by the besiegers at a distance of three hundred yards from the en emy's works, and a detail of six companies made for the protection of the working parties. When a thick fog, which prevailed the next morning, had lifted, the British, perceiving the newly-constructed approach, made
1 Order book of General Prevost.

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SIEGE or SAVANNAH.
a sortie for its capture. Three companies of light infantry under Major Graham constituted the attacking force. The English historians claim that this was simply a demonstration for the purpose of enticing the French out of their lines so that something like an accurate estimate might be formed of their strength. Major Graham retreated with a loss of twenty-one killed and wounded. He was closely pursued by a heavy column of French soldiers who, in their zeal, were drawn within range of the English batteries, which delivered a galling fire. At seven o'clock on the' morning of the 2$th, fire upon the city .was opened from a battery just erected under the supervision of M. de Sauce, an artillery officer, mounting two eighteen-pounder guns. Upon an in spection of the work, Count d'Estaing ordered this battery to be re modeled and armed with twelve eighteen and twelve-pounder guns. He further directed that another battery, to contain thirteen eighteenpounder-guns, should be constructed on the right of the trench. He also located the position for a bomb battery, of nine mortars, two hundred yards to the left and a little in rear of the trench. By the side of this he decided to eredt a battery of six sixteen-pounder guns to be manned by the Americans. Until these works should be completed the count or dered that no firing should occur. If we may credit the statements made by a naval officer in the fleet of Count d'Estaing, whose journal was published in Paris in 1782, the con dition of affairs on shipboard was deplorable. He says: The navy is suf fering everything, anchored on an open coast and liable to be driven ashore by the southeast winds. Seven of our ships have been injured in their rudders, several have lost their anchors, and most of them have been greatly endamaged in their rigging. The scurvy rages witfr such severity that we throw daily into the sea about thirty-five men. We have no kind of refreshments to give the sick, not even tisannt. There was no way of alleviating the misery of our poor sailors who, wanting coats, des titute of linen, without shoes, and absolutely naked, had nothing to eat except salt provisions' which made them die of thirst. The bread which we possessed, having been two years in store, was so much de cayed and worm-eaten, and was so disagreeable to the taste, that even the domestic animals on board would not eat it Even this had to be dis• . I tributed in scanty rations for fear the supply would utterly fail Behold
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HiSTOfcT or SAVANNAH.

a part of the frightful picture of the cruel and miserable condition of our crews during the continuance of the siege of Savannah upon which the ' Count d'Estaing was so intent that he appeared to have entirely forgot ten his vessels. The few sailors who were in condition to work the ships were weak, of a livid color, with the marks of death portrayed on their countenances, and could not be viewed without compassion. On the night of the 27th a sortie was made by Major Archibald McArthur, with a detachment of the Seventy-first Regiment, to inter rupt the allies in the construction of their batteries. Assaulting.with ' vigor, he quickly retired. The French attempted to gain his right flank and the Americans his left He eluded them both. Amid the darkness the allies opened fire upon each other. Several lives were lost before the mistake was discovered. The French account of this affair is different. It is therein stated that twice during this night the troops in the trenches, believing they saw the enemy approaching, delivered a heavy fire by mis take upon the working parties, by which some seventeen were killed and wounded. The ensuing day, the frigate La Truth/moving up and anch oring in the north channel of the Savannah, attempted to bombard the town. But tittle damage was caused by her projectiles. On the 29th of September, says Captain McCall,1 General Mclntosh solicited General Lincoln's permission to send a flag with a letter to Gen eral Prevost to obtain leave for Mrs. Mclntosh and his family, and such other females and children as might choose, to leave the town during the siege or until the contest should be decided. Major John Jones, aid to General Mclntosh, was the bearer of the flag and letter, and found Mrs. Mclntosh and family in a cellar where they had been confined several days. Indeed, such damp apartments furnished the only safe retreat f tr females and children. General Prevost refused to grant the request, imagining that he would thus restrain the besiegers from throwing bombs and carcasses among the houses to set them on fire.2
1 Histtry of Georgia, vol. ii., p. 260. , Savannah. 1816. * Writing from the camp before Savannah on the 7th of October, 1779, Major John Jones says: " The poor womeii and children have suffered beyond description. A num ber of them in Savannah have already been put to death by our bombs and cannon. A deserter has this moment come out who gives an account that many of them were killed in their beds, and amongst others a poor woman, with her infant in her arms, was de stroyed by a cannon ball. .They have all got into cellars; but even there they do not

SIBGE OF SAVANNAH.
During the night of the 1st of October, Colonel John White, with Cap tains George Melvin and A. C. G. Elholm, a sergeant, and three privates, achieved an exploit .which almost transcends belief. Captain French with one hundred and eleven regular troops, accompanied by five vessels and their crews,—four of them being armed vessels,—interrupted in his at tempt to reach Savannah, had taken refuge in the Great Ogeechee River. Debarking his troops he formed a fortified camp on the felt bank of that stream. Approaching this encampment at night. Colonel White caused a number of fires to be kindled in full view, as though an investing force of considerable strength was present He then, with his little parly, ad* vanced and summoned Captain French to surrender. With this demand he complied. His entire command was disarmed and marched to the camp of the allied army. On the 2d of October the frigate La Truitt, from her position in the north channel, assisted by two American galleys* delivered a heavy fire against the southeast end of the town. This compelled the enemy to throw up a new battery and to strengthen the defensive works in that ' ' quarter. The batteries planned by Count d'Estaing having been completed and armed, the bombardment of Savannah commenced at midnight on the 3d of October. It ceased, however, at two o'clock on die morning of the 4th; it being evident from the misdirection of the bombs that maay of the cannoneers were under the influence of rum. The record of x the first day's bombardment is thus perpetuated ia * French journal of the siege: " October 4th, Monday. At four o'clock in the morning, the enemy's beat of drum at daybreak furnishes the sig nal for unmasking our batteries on the right and left of the trench, and that of the Americans to the left of the mortar battery, and we begi* to cannonade and bombard the town and the enemy's works with more vi vacity than precision. The cannoneers being still under the influence of rum, their excitement did not allow them to direct their pieces with proper care. Besides, our projectiles did little damage to works wfcjicn' were low and constructed of sand. The efiect of this very vioieat fir* was fatal only to the houses and to some women who occupied them.
escape the fury of our bombs, several having been mangled in that supposed 'place df • security. I pity General Mclmosh; his situation is peculiar. The whole of Ms femfyis there." MS. letter in the possession of the author.

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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

"Protected by their entrenchments, the enemyv could not have lost many men, if we may judge from the effect of their fire upon our works which had been hastily constructed and with far less skill and care than theirs. " All our batteries ceased firing at eight o'clock in the morning that s we might repair our left battery which had been shaken to pieces by its own fire. A dense fog favors our workmen. We open fire again at ten o'clock in the morning and continue it with little intermission until four ofclock after midnight" Stedman, in his history, says the allied army opened the bombard ment with fifty-three pieces of heavy cannon and fourteen mortars. Dr. Ramsay, who is followed by McCall, states that the besiegers opened with nine mortars and thirty-seven cannon from the land side, and six teen cannon from the water. The bombardment of the 4th caused considerable damage to property within the town, and some lives wete lost. In order to avoid the projectiles Governor Sir James Wright and Lieutenant-Governor John Graham moved out of Savannah and occu. pied a tent next to Colonel Maitland on the right of the British lines. By a shell from the bomb battery of nine mortars Ensign Pollard, of the second battalion of General DeLancy's brigade, was killed in a house cm the bay. A daughter of Mrs. Thompson was slain in the same local ity by a solid shot. In commenting upon the effect of this bombardment, T. W. Moore, who was aid-de-camp to General Prevost during the siege, says that the town was torn to pieces by the shells and shot, and that the shrieks of women and children were heard on every side. "Many poor creatures," ie adds, "were killed in trying to get in their cellars, or hide themselves vnder the bluff of Savannah River." During the progress of the siege considerable damage was caused to buildings and property by the fire of the investing batteries. Among 'ether premises, the quarters of Anthony Stokes, chief justice of the col ony, were burned by a shell. His library and manuscripts were de'stroyed. During the bombardment of the 5th, as we learn from "RivingtenV Royal Gazette," a mulatto* man and three negroes were killed in the lieutenant-governor's cellar. In the evening, the residence of Mrs.

SIEGE OF SAVANNAH.

269

Lloyd, near the church,1 was burnt by a shell and seven negroes lost their lives. At night another shell fell through Mr. Laurie's house on Broughton street and killed two women and children who were under it. On the 6th, the bombardment was feebly sustained and at long in* tervals. The allied army began to lose confidence when it was per ceived that the heavy firing which had previously been maintained would not render the final assault less difficult. .More than ever was Count d'Estaing persuaded that he should not have resorted to the slow process of a siege which afforded the British an opportunity of strengthening their old works and of erecting new defenses..' His regret was sincere that he had not attacked on the very first day. At eleven o'clock a parley was beaten and the following communica tion, addressed by General Prevost to the commander of the French army, was delivered:

" CAMP SAVANNAH, 6tk October, 1779.

"SIR,—I am persuaded your Excellency will do me the justice to be lieve that I conceive in defending this place and the army committed to my charge I fulfil what is due to Honor and Duty to my Prince. Sen timents of a different kind occasion the liberty of now addressing myself to your Excellency. They are those of Humanity. The houses of Sa vannah are occupied solely by women and children. Several of them have applied to me that I might request the favour you would allow them to embark on board a ship or ships and go down the river under the protection of yours until this business is decided. If this requisition. you are so good as to grant, my Wife and Children, with a few servants, shall be the first to profit by the indulgence." . To this letter the following response was returned :

" CAMP BEFORE SAVANNAH, October &A, 1779.
" SIR,—We are persuaded that your Excellency knows all that your duty prescribes. Perhaps your zeal has already interfered with your judgment. " The Count d* Estaing in his own name notified you that you alone would be personally responsible for the consequence of your obstinacy. The time which you informed him in the commencement of the siege
Christ Church.

>•* v.£-.^..

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HISTORY or SAVANNAH.

would be necessary for the arrangement of articles, including different orders of men in your town, had no other object than that of receiving succor. Such conduct, Sir, is sufficient to forbid every intercourse be tween us which might occasion the least loss of time. Besides, in the present application latent reasons might again exist. There are military ones which, in frequent instances, have prevented the indulgence you re quest It is with regret we yield to the austerity of our functions, and we deplore the fate of those persons who will be victims of your conduct, and the delusion which appears to prevail in your mind. '* We are with respect, Sir,
"Your Excellency's most obedient Servants,

" His Excellency " MAJOR GENERAL PREVOST."

" B. LINCOLN. " D'ESTAING.

Remembering the advantage taken by the English commander of the truce accorded on the 16th of September, to introduce the detachment under Colonel Maitland, apprehending that the present was but a pre text for gaining some undisclosed advantage, and mindful of the fact that General Prevost had denied a similar application preferred in behalf of General Mclntosh whose wife and children were in Savannah, General Lincoln and Count d* Estaing deemed it proper to refuse the permission asked. " 7th, Thursday. A very lively cannonade. We bombard and throw carcasses into Savannah, which set the town on fire for the third. time. 1 We construct a new trench in advance of our left battery to per suade the enemy that we do not yet contemplate an assault, but that our intention is to push our approaches up to his works. " 8th, Friday. We cannonade and bombard feebly. The enemy does little more. He seems to be husbanding his strength for the antici pated attack. Informed of all that transpires in our army, he is cogni zant of the trifling effect produced by his fire upon us in our trenches.
1 To-day, Captain John Simpson of the Georgia Loyalists, while walking in Major Wright's redoubt, was killed by a grape-shot Many houses in Savannah were damaged by the fire of the Allies. One shell Ml in the Provost Marshal's office killing two aien and wounding nine others. Another burst in the cellar under the office of the Comnussiooer of Claims, slaying a negro, and wounding .another.

SIEGE or SAVANNAH.

271

Everything forces us to the conclusion that we must, on the morrow, make a general assault upon the city. The length of time requisite for the (operations of a siege, the exhaustion of the supplies of the fleet, and the pressing dangers resulting from our insecure anchorage, decide the general to take this step." So reads the journal of a French officer in the land army of Count d* Estaing. The morning of the 8th was signalized by a brilliant attempt on the part of Major 1'Enfant to fire the abatis in front of the enemy's lines. The dampness of the atmosphere, however, prevented general ignition. The approaches of the allied army had now been poshed almost within pistol shot of the English works. 1 In the judgment of the engi neers, however, ten days more would be required to penetrate them. The remonstrances of his naval officers against further delay, sickness in fleet and camp, anticipated storms at this tempestuous season of the year, an apprehension of attack from the British fleet, and the failure of his fire to effect a practicable breach in the hostile'works united in determining Count d'Estairig to attempt their capture by an early assault. Four o'clock on the morning of the 9th of October, 1779, was desig nated as the hour for the important movement, the details of which were fully conceited at a general conference of leading officers. Unfortunately, the plan of attack was, by some means, overheard or unwittingly di vulged. Certain it is that on the night of the 8th James Curry,3 ser geant-major of the Charlestown Grenadiers, deserted to the enemy and communicated to the English the purposes of the allied army. Thus ad vised, Prevost prepared to meet the emergency. Informed that the principal assault was to be directed against the Spring-Hill redoubt and the contiguous batteries, and that the menace on the left under Huger was little more than a feint, he concentrated his
_ __• _ ' ..,..._ _ . _____ .._ __ ^^^^^^^_^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

' " We keep up a most incessant cannonade and bombardment," says Major John Jones in a letter dated " Camp before Savannah, 7th October, 1779," " and this evening we shall carry on our approaches within pistol-shot of the enemy's lines. We are hourly expecting that they will strike, though many, with myself, are of opinion, they will not until we compel them by storm. Their investment is complete, and the siege a reg ~ " • ' ular one." MS. letter in possession of the author. * This deserter was subsequently captured at the battle of Hobkirk's Hill, and was . hung for his treachery,

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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

choicest troops about the Spring-Hill and assigned his best officer, Colo nel Maitland, to their command. These are the orders which were issued by General Lincoln in antici pation of the important movements which were to" transpire on the morning of the 9th.: 1 "Watchword, Lewis, "The soldiers will be immediately supplied with forty rounds of cart ridges, a spare flint, and their arms in good order. "The infantry destined for the attack of Savannah will be divided into two bodies; the first composing the light troops under the command of Colonel Laurens; the second of the Continental battalions and the first battalion of Charlestown mHitia, except the grenadiers who are to join the light troops. The whole will parade at one o'clock near the left of the line and march by the right by platoons. " The guards of. the camp will be formed by the invalids and be charged to keep up the fires as usual in the camp. " The cavalry under the command of Count Pulaski will parade at the same time with the infantry and follow the left column of the French troops and precede the column of the American light troops. They will endeavor to penetrate the enemy's lines between the battery on the left of the Spring-Hill redoubt and the next toward the river. Having ef fected this, they will pass to the left toward Yamacraw and secure such parties of the enemy as may be lodged in that quarter. " The artillery will parade at the same time: follow the French ar tillery, and remain with the corps de resfrve until they receive further orders. v • " The whole will be ready by the time appointed with the utmost silence and punctuality, and be ready to march the instant Count d'Estaing and General Lincoln shall order. " The Light troops, who are to follow the cavalry, will attempt to enter the redoubt on the left of the Spring-Hill by escalade if possible : if not, by entrance into it. They are to be supported, if necessary, by the First South Carolina Regiment In the mean time the column will proceed with the lines to the left of the Spring-Hill battery. " The Light troops having succeeded against the redoubt will pro1 Mouhrie's Memoirt of tJu American RevohUi**, voi. &. p. yj. New York. i&tt.

I

SIEGE OF SAVANNAH.
ceed to the left and attempt the several works between that and the . river. " The column will move to the left of the French troops, taking care not to interfere with them. " The light troops having carried the works towards the river will form on the left of the column. " It is expressly forbid to fire a single gun before the redoubts are carried, or for any soldier to quit his ranks to plunder without an order for that purpose ; any who shall presume to transgress in either of these respects shall be reputed a disobeyor oY military orders, which is punish . able with death. " The militia of the first and second brigades, General Williamson's, and the first and second battalions of Charlestown militia will parade im mediately under the command of General Isaac Huger. After drafting five hundred of them, the remainder will go into the trenches and put themselves under the command of the commanding officer there. " With the five hundred he will march to the left of the enemy's lines and remain as 'near them as he possibly can, withdut being discovered, until four o'clock in the morning, at which 'time the troops in the trenches will begin the attack upon the enemy. He will then advance and make his attack as near the river as possible. Though this is only meant as a feint, yet, should a favorable opportunity offer^ he will im prove it and push into the town. " In case of a repulse, after having taken the Spring-Hill redoubt, the troops will retreat and rally in the rear of the redoubt If it cannot be effected in that way, it must be attempted by the same route at which they entered. "The second place of rallying, or the first, jf the redoubt should not be carried, will be at the Jews' burying ground, where the reserve will be placed. If these two^ halts should not be effectual, they will retire toward camp. " The troops will carry on their hats a piece of white paper by which they will be distinguished."

m

274

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

*

*

CHAPTER XXI.

The Siege of Savannah Continued — Assault of the 9th of October, 1779— Repulse of the Allied Army — Count Pulaski — Estimate of Forces Engaged and of Losses Sus tained—Names of the Killed and Wounded — Lieutenant Lloyd — Sergeant Jasper— Siege Raised — Departure of the French and Americans — War Vessels Composing the French Fleet—General Lincoln's Letter to Congress — Count d'Estaing —Death of Colonel Maitland — Pitiable Condition of the Sea coast of Georgia.

HE French were to form in three columns: two for assault, and the third to act as a reserve corps moving to any point where its coopelation seemed most requisite. Of the first column of assault under M. Dillon, Count d'Estaing assumed personal command. The second was intrusted to M. de Steding, colonel of infantry. The third, or column of reserves, was led by the Viscount de Noailles. The Americans were di vided into two assaulting columns. The first, composed of the second South Carolina regiment and the first battalion of Charlestown militia, was placed under the guidance of Colonel Laurens. The second,consisting of the first and fifth South Carolina regiments and some Georgia continentals, was commanded by General Lachlah Mclntosh. General Lincoln, taking with him some militia, united with the Viscount de Noailies, and assumed, by virtue of his rank, general command of the reserves. The cavalry, under Count Pulaski, was to precede the American column, commanded by Colonel Laurens, until it approached the edge of the wood, when it was to break off and occupy a position whence it could readily take advantage of any breach which might be effected in the enemy's works. The weight of these assaulting columns was to be directed against the right of the British lines. General Isaac Huger, with a force of five hundred men, was ordered to march to the left of the enemy's works and remain as near them as he could, without being discovered, until four in the morning, when he was to advance and attack as close the river as practicable. Although this movement was intended as a feint, he was in. structed, if a favorable opportunity presented itself, to improve the chance ^ and push into the town. It was farther arranged that some troops from the trenches should demonstrate forcibly against the British center with a view to distracting the enemy.

T

SIBGB OF SAVANNAH.

273

After wading half a mile through the rice-field which bordered the city on the east, General Huger reached his point of attack and, at the designated hour and place, assaulted. The enemy, already fully advised of the movement, was on the alert. He was received with music and a heavy fire of cannon and musketry, before which he retreated with a loss of twenty-eight men. This command took no further part in the action. The attack from the troops from the trenches upon the ceater of the English line was feebly maintained and produced no impression. It was easily repulsed by the soldiers under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Hamilton, of the North Carolina regiment of loyalists. These troops from the trenches, supported by the Chasseurs of Martinique, were com manded by M. de Sabliere. The details of the assault upon the enemy's right, as conducted by the French columns of attack, we translate from the Journal of a French officer who participated in the tragic event: "By three o'clock in the morning all our dispositions had been per fected. . . . We commence marching by the left to attack the city on its right where its western side, as we have before intimated, is for tified by three redoubts located triangularly. 1 The columns marched by divisions (each column had been divided into three battalions), with easy gait and leisurely, that they' might arrive at the point of attack at the ,_ . . designated hour. " At five o'clock in the morning, the three columns, which had ob served a similar order of march, arrived within about eighty toises (160 yards) of the edge of the wood which borders upon Savannah. Here the head of column was halted and we were ordered to form into platoons. Day begins to dawn and we grow impatient This movement is scarcely commenced when we are directed to march forward, quick time, the van guard inclining a little to the right, the column of M. de Steding to the left, and the column of the General (D'Estaing) moving straight to the front M. de Noailles, with his reserve corps, proceeds to a squall emi nence from which he could observe all our movements and repair to any point where the exigencies might demand his presence. "At half past five o'clock we hear on our right, and on the enemy's left, a very lively fire of musketry and cannon upon our troops from, the
1 The Spring Hill and Ebenezer batteries.

•: j *':-.

2/6

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

trenches who had commenced the false attack. A few minutes after wards, we are discovered by the enemy's sentinels, who fire a few shots. The General now orders an advance at double quick, to shout Vive le Roy, and to beat the charge. The enemy opens upon us a very brisk fire of artillery and musketry, which, however, does not prevent the van guard from advancing upon the redoubt, and the right column upon the entrenchments. The ardor of our troops and the difficulties offered by the ground do not permit us long to preserve our ranks. Disorder begins to prevail. The head of the column penetrates within the en trenchments, but, having marched too rapidly, it is not supported by the rest of the column which, arriving in confusion, is cut down by discharges of grape shot from the redoubts and batteries and by a musketry fire from the entrenchments. We are violently repulsed at this point. Instead of moving to the right, this column and the vanguard fall back toward the left. Count d'Estaing receives a musket shot when almost within the redoubt, and M. Betizi is here wounded several times. "The column of M. de Steding, which moved to the left, while traversing a muddy swamp full of brambles, loses its formation and no lortger preserves any order. This swamp, upon which the enemy's entrenchments rested, formed a slope which served as a glacis to them. The firing is very lively; and, although this column is here most seriously injured, it crosses the road to Augusta that it may advance to the enemy's right, which it was ordered to attack. On this spot nearly all the volunteers are killed. The Baron de Steding is here wounded. " The column of M. d'Estaing, and the repulsed vanguard which had retreated to the left, arrived here as soon as the column of M. de Sted ing, and threw it into utter confusion. At this moment everything is in such disorder that the formations are no longer preserved. The road to Augusta is choked up. It here, between two impracticable morasses, consists df an artificial causeway upon which all our soldiers, who had disengaged themselves from the swamps, collected. We are crowded together and badly pressed. Two 18-pounder guns, upon field carriages, charged with canister and placed at the head of the road, cause terrible slaughter. The musketry fire from the entrenchments is concentrated upon this spot and upon the swamps. Two English galleys and one

4

r

REPULSE OF THE ALLIED ARMY.

277

frigate 1 sweep this point with their broadsides, and the redoubts and batteries use only grape shot, which they shower down upon this local ity. [Another contemporaneous French writer says the English fired from their cannon packets of scrap iron, the blades of knives and scis sors, and even chains five and six feet long.] Notwithstanding all this our officers endeavor to form into columns this mass which does not retreat, and the soldiers themselves strive to regain their ranks. Scarcely have they commenced to do this when the General orders the charge to be beaten. Three times do our troops advance en masst up to the en trenchments which cannot be carried. An attempt is made to penetrate through the swamp on our left to gain the enemy's right. More than half of those who enter are either killed, or remain stuck fast in the mud. . . . Standing in the road leading to Augusta, and at a most exposed point, the General, with perfect self-possession, surveys this slaughter, demands constant renewals of the assault, and, although sure of the bravery of his troops, determines upon a retreat only when he sees that success is impossible. " We beat a retreat, which is mainly effected across the swamp lying to the right of the Augusta road; our forces being entirely, and at short range, exposed to the concentrated fire of the entrenchments which con stantly increases in vehemence. At this juncture £he enemy show them selves openly upon the parapets and deliver their fire with their muskets almost touching our troops. The General here receives a second shot2 ''About four hundred men, more judiciously led by the Baron de Steding, retreated without loss by following the road to Augusta and turning the swamp by a long detour. M. de Noailles, anxious to pre serve his command for the moment when it could be used to the best advantage, orders his reserve corps to fall back rapidly. Had he not done so, it would have suffered a loss almost as severe as that encoun tered by the assaulting columns, the effect of the grape shot being more dangerous at the remove where it was posted than at the foot of the en trenchments. Accompanied only by his adjutant, he ascends an eleva tion fifteen paces In advance of his corps that he might with certainty*
1 The armed brig Germafn. * During the conduct of the assault Count d'Estaing was twice wounded by musket balls, once in the arm and again in the thigh.

2/8

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

observe all the movements of the army. His adjutant, M. Caiignon, is mortally wounded by his side. When the Viscount de Noailles per ceives the disorder reigning among the columns, he brings his reserve corps up to charge the enemy ; and. when he hears the retreat sounded, advarfces in silence, at a slow step, and in perfect order, to afford an op•portunity to the repulsed troops to reform themselves in his rear. He makes a demonstration to penetrate within the entrenchments in case the enemy should leave them, and prepares to cut them off in that event Under these circumstances he encounters some loss, but the anticipated sortie would have caused the total destruction of our army. That the enemy, did not make this apprehended sortie is to be attributed to this excellent disposition of his forces and this prompt manoeuvre on the part of the Viscount de Noailles. 1 ">The fragments of the army hastily form in single column behind the reserve corps and begin marching to our camp. M. de Noailles cdnstitutes the rear guard, and retires slowly and in perfect order. Towards eight o'clock in the morning the army was again in camp, and a cessa tion of hostilities for the purpose of burying the dead and removing the wounded.was proposed and allowed." The American right column, under the command of Colonel Laurens, preceded by Count Pulaski, assaulted the Spring-Hill redoubt with con spicuous valor. At one time the ditch was passed and the colors of the second South Carolina Regiment were planted upon the exterior slope. The parapet being too high for them to scale in the face of a murderous fire, these brave assailants were driven out of the ditch. On the retreat, this command was thrown into great disorder by the cavalry and lancers who, severely galled by the enemy's fire, broke away to the left and passed through the infantry, bearing a portion of it into the swamp. The second American column, led by General Mclntosh, arrived near the Spring-Hill redoubt at a moment of supreme confusion. Count d'Es1 This statement is ndt entirely correct. Major Glasier, of the Sixtieth Regiment, who, with the grenadiers and reserve marines, was supporting the points assailed, did, when the order for retreat was given by the commander of the allied army, make a- sor tie from the British Hnes. He struck General Mclntosh's column in the flank and pur sued the retiring troops as far as the abatis. See General Prevost's report of the en gagement to Lord George Germain. dated Savannah, November i, 17791 GentUman's Magariiu for 1779, pp. 633. 636.

DEATH OF PULASKL

279

<aing was then, his arm wounded, endeavoring to rally his men. " Gen eral Melntosh," says Major Thomas Pindcney, who was present and aa earnest actor in the bloody details of this unfortunate and ill-considered attempt, "did not speak French, bat desired me to inform the Commander-in Chief that his column was fresh, and that he wished.his direc tions where, under present circumstances, he should make the attack. The Count ordered that we should move more to the left, and by ae means to interfere with the troops he was endeavoring to rally. In pur suing this direction we were thrown too much to the left, and, before* we could reach Spring-Hill redoubt, we had to pass through.Yamacraw Swamp, then wet and boggy, with the galley at the mouth annoying our left flank with grape shot While struggling through this morass, the fir ing slacked, and it was reported that the whole army had retired. I was sent by General Melntosh to look out from the Spring- Hill, where I found riot an assailant standing. On reporting this tp the General, he ordered a retreat which was effected withont much loss, notwithstanding the heavy fire of grape-shot with which we were followed." While the assault was raging, Pulaski, with the approval of General Lincoln, attempted, at the head of some two hundred cavalrymen, to force a passage between the enemy's works. His purpose was to penetrate within the town, pass in rear of the hostile lines, and carry confusion and havoc into the British camp. In the execution of this design, he advanced at full speed until arrested by the abatis. Here his command encoun tered a heavy cross-fire from the batteries which threw it into confusion. The count himself was unhorsed by a cannister shot which, penetrating his right thigh, inflicted a mortal wound. 1 He was borne from the bloody
1 The last command uttered by the gallant Pole as he fell, wounded to the death, was: " Follow my Lancers to whom I have given the order of attackc." :Major Rogowski thus describes Pulaski's charge: " For half an hour the guns roared and blood flowed abundantly. Seeing an opening between the enemy's works. Pulaski resolved, with his Legion and a small detachment of Georgia Cavalry, to charge through, enter the city, confuse the enemy, and cheer the inhabitants with good tidings. General Lincoln ap proved the daring plan. Imploring the help of the Almighty, Pulaski shouted to his men forward, and we, two hundred strong, rode at full speed after him,—the earth re sounding under the hoofs of our chargers. For the first two moments all went weD. We sped like knights into the peril. Just, however, as we passed the gap between the two batteries, a cross-fire, like a pouring shower, confused our ranks. I looked around. Oh ! sad moment, ever to be remembered, Pulaski lies prostrate on the ground! I

280 "

HISTORY OP SAVANNAH.

field, and, after the conflict was over, was conveyed on board the United States brig Wasp to go round to Charlestown. The ship, delayed by head-winds, remained several days in Savannah River and, during this period, he was attended by the most skiilful surgeons in the French fleet It was found impossible to establish suppuration, and gangrene super vened. As the Wasp was leaving the river Pulasld breathed his last His corpse became so offensive that Colonel Bentalou, his officer in attend ance, "was compelled, though reluctantly, to consign to a watery grave all that was now left upon earth of his beloved and honored commander." After the retreat of the assaulting columns from the right of the Brit ish lines, eighty men lay dead in the ditch and on the parapet of the re doubt first attacked, and ninety- three within the abatis. The ditch, says an eye-witness, was filled with dead. In front, for fifty yards, the field was covered with the slain. Many hung dead and wounded upon the abatis, and for some hundred yards without the lines the plain was strewed with mangled bodies killed by grape, and langrage. The attacks upon the Ebenezer battery, the Spring-Hill redoubt, and the redoubt in which Colonel Maitland had located his headquarters, were made with the ut•most gallantry and impetuosity. Two standards were planted by the allied forces upon the Ebenezer battery; one of which was captured, and the other brought off by the brave Sergeant Jasper who, at the moment, was suffering from a mortal wound. Major John Jones, aid to General McIntosh, was literally cut in twain by a cannon shot while within a few paces of the embrasure from which the piece was discharged. t Of the valor and heroism of the assault there can be no question.' /That it was ill-conceived and calamitous to the last degree is equally certain.
The left of the English line rested upon a heavy work, mounting four teen cannon, located just where the bluff, upon which the town was situleaped towards him, thinking possibly his wound was not dangerous, but a cannister shot had pierced his thigh, and the blood was also flowing from his breast, probably from a second wound Falling on my knees \ tried to raise him. He said in a faint voice, Jesus ! Maria ! Joseph ! Further I knew not, for at that moment a musket ball, graz ing my scalp, blinded me with Wood and I fell to the ground in a state of insensibility." Nine days before, Pulaski had lost his scapulars which the Nuncio had blessed dur ing his stay at Crenstochowe. He regarded it as an evil omen, and advised Major Rogowski that he anticipated early death.

STRENGTH OF THE ALLIED ARMY.

281

ated, yields to the low grounds below. The line thence followed the high ground, where it looks to the east, until about the point where it is now intersected by Liberty street. Then, bending to the south and west, it followed a semicircular course until it reached the point where the Au gusta road descended into the low grounds on the west Thence, run ning northwards and following the edge of the high ground, its right de veloped into a two-gun battery on the Savannah River. On the east and west the approaches to this line were rendered almost impracticable by swamps at that time badly drained. We have already alluded to the pre cautions adopted by Prevost for the protection of the town where it looks upon the river. This line, at the time it was assaulted, was strong and bristling with more than one hundred guns in fixed position. , Accurately advised in advance of the precise points of attack conceited by the allies, Prevost made his dispositions accordingly. His heaviest concentration occurred on his right, and to Lieutenant-Colonel Maitland was the de fense of this post of honor and of danger entrusted. While it is difficult to reconcile the conflicting estimates which have been handed down to us of the forces actually engaged during the siege of Savannah, we submit the following as the most accurate we have been able to prepare after a careful comparison of the most reliable authorities at command: STRENGTH OF THE FRENCH ARMY, COMMANDED BY COUNT D'ESTAING.
Noailles' Division, composed of the regiments of Champagne, Auxerrois, Foix, Gaudeloupe, and Martinique, ............ 900 men. The Division of Count eTEstaing, composed of the regiments of Cambresis, Hainault, the Volunteers of Berges, Agenois, Gatinois, the Cape, and Port-au-Prince and the artillery, ......... 1,000 men. Dilloris Division, composed of the regiments of Dillon, Armagnac, and Volunteer Grenadiers, ................ ooo men. The Dragoons of ContU and of Belxunce, under the command of M. De50 men. jean, ...................... The Volunteer Chasseurs, commanded by M. de Rouvrai, ...... 750 men. The Grenadier Volunteers, and men of other regiments, commanded by M. des Framais. .................. 356 men. To these should probably be added the Marines and Sailors fiom the fleet, detailed for special labor to the number of ....... 500 men. Total, . 36

4^56 men!

282

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

STRENGTH OF THE AMERICAN ARMY, COMMANDED BY GENERAL LINCOLN. Continental Troops, including the Fifth Regiment of South Carolina In
fantry, ...................... 1,003

Anthony Stokes, chief justice of the colony of Georgia, who was in Savannah during the siege, estimates the besieging army at about 4,500 French and 2,500 Americans. In the Paris Gazette of January 7, 1780, the besieging forces are enumerated as follows: FRENCH TROOPS.
I. Europeans: Draughted from the regiments of Armagnac, Cham pagne, Auxerrois, Agenois, Gatinois, Cambresis, Hainault, Foix, Dillon, Walsh, le Cap, la Guadeloupe, la Martinique, and Port-auPrince, a detachment of the Royal Corps of Infantry of the Marine, .the Volunteers of Vallelle, the Dragoons, and 156 Volunteer Grena diers, lately raised at Cape Francois, ........... 2,979 men. II. Colored: Volunteer Chasseurs, mulattoes, and negroes newly raised at Saint Domingo, ..'................ 545 men. TROOPS, ................... 2,000 men. Total, ...................... 5,524 men.

In his inclosure to Lord George Germain, under date November 5, 1779, Governor Sir James Wright reports the British forces within the lines of Savannah during the siege, "including regulars, militia, sailors, and volunteers," as not exceeding twenty-three hundred and fifty men fit for duty. By the legend accompanying Faden's "Plan of the Siege of Savan nah," printed at Charing Cross on the 2d of February, 1784, we are in-

AGGREGATE Loss OF THE ALLIED ARMY.

283

formed that the total number of English troops, " including soldiers, sea men and militia," garrisoning the forts, redoubts, and epaulements, and fit for duty on the 9th of October, 1779, was twenty-three hundred and sixty. "The force in Savannah under General Prevpst," says that excel lent historian, Stedman,1 " did not exceed two thousand five hundred of all sorts, regulars, provincial corps, seamen, militia, and volunteers." Dr. Ramsay 2 states that "the force of the garrison was between two and three thousand, of which about one hundred and fifty were militia." General Moultrie, in his "Memoirs," 3 substantially adopts this estimate. Accord ing to Captain Hugh McCall,4 the British force "consisted of two thou sand eight hundred and fifty men, including one hundred and fifty mili tia, some Indians, and three hundred armed slaves." In Rivington's "Ga zette" it is asserted that the entire strength of the English garrison on duty, including regulars, militia, volunteers, and sailors, did not exceed two thousand three hundred and fifty men. Upon an inspection of the returns, as we are informed by the French journal from which we have already quoted, Count d'Estaing ascertained that the allied army had suffered the following loss in killed and wounded:
French soldiers, .............:... 760 men. 312 men. 1,133 men. Americans, .................... Total, ...................

French officers,

.................

61 men,

The aggregate loss encountered by the combined French and Ameri can forces during the progress of the siege and in the assault of; the 9th of October has been variously estimated at from one thousand to fifteen hundred killed and wounded. Dr. Ramsay asserts that the assaulting col umns under Count d'Estaing and General Mclntosh did not stand the enemy's fire more than fifty-five minutes, and that during this short . period the French had six hundred and thirty-seven men killed and wounded, and the Americans two hundred and fifty-seven.f "In this un successful attempt," says Marshall,5 " the loss of the French in killed and
* History of the Revolution, etc., voL ii., p. 40. Trenton. MDCCLXXXV. *VoL iL, pp.4i, 42. * History of Georgia, vol. ii., p. 270.
* Life of Washington^ vol. iv., p. 102. Philadelphia. 2805. 1 History of the American Wart vol. ii., p. 127. London. 1794.

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284

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

wounded was about seven hundred men. The continental troops lest two hundred and thirty-four men, and the Charleston militia, who, though united with them in danger, were more fortunate, had one captain killed and six privates wounded." Irving, 1 in a general way, states that the French lost in killed and wounded upwards of six hundred men, and the Americans about four hundred. " Our troops," says General Moultrie,2 " remained before the lines in this hot fire fifty-five minutes; the Gen erals, seeing no prospect of success, were constrained to order a retreat, after having six hundred and thirty-seven French and four hundred and fifty-seven Continentals killed and wounded." General Lee's estimate 3 accords substantially with that of Marshall. When driven out of the ditch and compelled to retreat, Stedman asserts 4 that the assailants left behind them, in killed and wounded, of the French troops six hundred and thirty-seven, and of the Americans two hundred and sixty-four. General Prevost reports the allied loss at from one thousand to twelve hundred. Thoroughly protected by their well-constructed earthworks, the Eng lish suffered but little. The few casualties reported in the British ranks ' and the teirible slaughter dealt out to the assaulting columns assure us how admirably Prevost had covered his men by entrenchments and re doubts, and how skillfully and rapidly the besieged handled their muskets and field and siege pieces. General Provost's return shows forty killed, sixty-three wounded, four missing, and forty-eight desertions during the siege. In a letter to his wife, dated Savannah, November 4, 1779, Cap tain T. Wj Moore, aid to Genera} Prevost, estimates the entire loss sus-~ tained by the garrison in killed, wounded, and missing, at one hundred and sixty-three; and Stedman says "the loss of the garrison, in the f whole, did not exceed one hundred and twenty." So potent are military •' skill and proper defenses for the preservation of human life. It is believed that about one thousand shells and twenty carcasses were thrown into the city during the continuance of the siege. Of the expenditure of solid shots we can find no record, although we know that they were freely used.
*• Lift of Washington, voL in., p. 522. New York 1856. ' Memoirs, etc, voL ii, p. 41. New York. 1802. * Memoirs, voL i, p. 109. Philadelphia. 2812. * History of the American War, voL ii p. 131. London. 1794.

<•

LIST OF CASUALTIES AMONG FRENCH OFFICERS.

285

In the repulse of the\ French and Americans on the right of the city lines, the following English troops, under the command of Colonel Maitland, were mainly engaged:
Dismounted dragoons, .................. j Battalion men of the 6oth Regiment, ............. South Carolina loyalists. They held the redoubts on the Ebenezer road where the brave Captain Tawse, commanding, fell, ...... Colonel Hamilton's North Carolina loyalists, ........'.. Militia under Captains Wallace, Tallemach, and Polhill. These were posted in the redoubt where Colonel Maitland was, . . . '. : . Grenadiers of the 6oth Regiment, .............. Marines. Ordered to support the redoubt, they bravely^ charged the allied army when the retreat was sounded, ......... Sailors under the command of Captains Manley and Stiel. stationed in the Spring-Hill battery of six guns, ............ 28 28 54 90 75 74 37 31 417 '

General Huger's attack upon the left was frustrated by troops under the command of Colonel Cruger and Major Wright. The following is a list of the French officers killed and "wounded on the gth of October, 1779: Killed: Brow, major of Dillon's regiment, colonel of infajntry; Balheon, midshipman; Destinville, second lieutenant of the navy; Molart, lieutenant of the regiment of Armagnac; Stancey, second lieutenant of the Dragoons of Conde; Taf, lieutenant of the regiment of Dillon; Guillaume, lieutenant of the Grenadiers of Guadeloupe ; De Montaign, cap tain of.the Chasseurs; Boisneuf, lieutenant of the regiment of Port au Prince; Du Perron, captain on staff duty. Total, 10. Wounded: Count d'Estaing, general; De Fontanges, major-general; De Betizi, colonel, and second in command of the regiment of Gatinois; De Steding, colonel of infantry; Derneville, aid-major of division, mor tally wounded; Chalignon, aid-major of division, mortally wounded; Boulan, captain of the Grenadiers of Armagnac; Grillere, captain of the regiment of Armaghac; Barn's, captain of the regiment of Augenois; St Sauveur, lieutenant of the regiment of Augenois; Chaussepred, lieu tenant of the regiment of Augenois; Morege, second lieutenant of the reg iment of Augenois; Chamson, lieutenant of the regiment of Cambresis; Coleau, lieutenant of the regiment of Cambresis; Boozel, lieutenant of the

HISTORY of SAVANNAH.
regiment of Cambresis; Oradon, second lieutenant of the regiment of Hainauit; Labarre, lieutenant of the dragoons of Conde; Ouelle, captain of the regiment of Dillon; Doyon, lieutenant of the regiment of Dillon; Deloy, officer of the regiment of Dillon ; Chr. de Termoi, cadet of the ' regiment of Dillon; Dumouries, lieutenant of the regiment of the Cape; Desombrages, lieutenant of the regiment of the Cape; Delbos, second Ikutenant of the regiment of the Cape; Desnoyers, major of the regiment of Gaudeloupe; Roger, captain of the regiment of Guadeloupe; Noyelles, captain attached to the staff of the regiment of Guadeloupe ; D'Anglemont, lieutenant of the Chasseurs of Guadeloupe; De Rousson, second lieutenant of the Chasseurs of Guadeloupe; Bailly de Menager, lieutenant of the regiment of Port au Prince, prisoner; Duclos, lieutenant of the vol unteer Chasseurs. Total, 31. The following are the names of some of the Continental and militia officers killed and wounded the same day: Killed: Major John Jones, aid to General Mclntosh; Second Regi ment, Major Motte, and Lieutenants Hume, Wickham, and Bush ; Third Regiment, Major Wise and Lieutenant Bailey; General Williamson's Brigade, Captain Beraud; Charlestown Regiment, Captain Shepherd; South Carolina Artillery, Captain Donnom, Charles Price, a volunteer, and Sergeant William Jasper. Wounded: Brigadier-General Count Pulaski, mortally; Major 1'EnJant and Captains Bentalou, Giles, and Rogowski; Second Regiment, Captain Roux and Lieutenants Gray and Petrie; Third Regiment, Cap tain Farrar and Lieutenants Gaston and De Saussure; Sixth Regiment, Captain Bowie; Virginia Levies, Lieutenants Parker and Walker; Light Infantry, Captain Smith, of the Third; Captains Warren and Hogari, of the Fifth; Lieutenant Vleland, of the Second, and Lieutenant Parsons, of the Fifth; South Carolina Militia, Captains Davis and Treville, and Lieu tenants Bonneau, Wilkie, Wade, and Wardel; Lieutentant Edward Lloyd, Mr. Owen. > • During the siege a number of Georgia officers who had no command and some patriotic gentlemen associated themselves together for, active duty under the leadership of Colonel Leonard Marbury. 1 Although only
' Charhon's Life of Major-General Janus Jackson, Part I., p. 16. Augusta, G«or18091

SERGEANT JASPER.

297

thirty in ail, four were killed and seven wounded. Of these were Charles Price, of Sunbury, a young attorney of note, and Lieutenant Bailey, whose names we have enumerated, among the slain. Among the incidents of the occasion, Captain McCall 1 records the following: While a surgeon was dressing the stump from which the arm of Lieutenant Edward Lloyd had been torn by a cannon ball, Major James Jackson observed to that excellent young officer that his prospects in life were rendered unpromising by this heavy burden which a cruel fate had imposed upon him. Lloyd replied that, grevious as the affliction was, he would not exchange situations with Lieutenant Stedman who had fled at the commencement of the assault. The death of Sergeant Jasper was the logical sequence of the heroic r impulses and intrepid daring which always characterized him. During the assault the colors of the Second South Carolina Regiment, which had been presented by Mrs. Elliott just after the battle of Fort Moultrie, were . borne, one by Lieutenant Bush, supported by Jasper, and the other by Lieutenant Gray, supported by Sergeant McDonald. Under the inspir ing leadership of Colonel Laurens they were both planted upon the slope of the Spring-Hill redoubt So terrific, however, was the enemy's fire that the brave assailants melted before it Lietenant Gray was mortally wounded just by his colors, and Lieutenant Bush lost his life under simi lar circumstances. v. When the retreat was sounded, Sergeant McDonald plucked his standard from the redoubt where it had been floating on the furthest . verge of the crimson tide and retired with it in safety. Jasper, already sore wounded, was, at the moment, endeavoring to replace upon die par apet the colors which had been struck down upon the fall of Lieutenant Bush, when he encountred a second and a mortal hurt. Recollecting, however, even in this moment of supreme agony, the pledges given when from fair hands this emblem of hope and confidence had been received, and, summoning his expiring energies for the final effort, he snatched those colors from the grasp of the triumphant enemy and bore them from the bloody field. Hearing that he was fatally wounded, Major Horry, when the battle
1 Quoting from Chariton's Life of Major-Gtneral James Jackson, Part I., p. .17. Augusta, Georgia. 1809.

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vf. j

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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.
was over, hastened to the rude couch of the bleeding sergeant and thus details the conversation which ensued. " I have got my furlough," said hie; and, pointing to his sword, coiiiiniiarti "That sword was presented to me by Governor Rutledge for my services in the defense of Fort Moultrie. Give it to my father, and tell him I nave worn it with honor. If he should weep, say to him his son died fe the hope of a better life. Tell Mrs. ElUott that I lost my life sapportiag the colors which she pre sented to our regiment" Then from out the bright visions of his former achievements as they floated for the last time before his dying memory, selecting his success at-the Spring, and repeating the names of those whom he there rescued, he added: " Should you ever see them, tell them that Jasper is gone, but that the remembrance of the battle he fought for them brought a secret jgty to his heart -Dfhon it was about to stop its motion forever." ,-<-•' . .-=»*< V^ ~":~^--. '

Thus thjaiaag ajtd thim tyt*ti\^^&Xait t&gewt and the true
The place of fcfc^ejxiltune k oattarked. Hcijtefep* with the brave dead of the sieg* who fie fce»ea1h &* arf 0f Savannah, Although no monu mental $tad| designates his grave, bis heroic memory is perpetuated in I tine gentle murmurs of that perennial spring at which one of his most generous aad daring deeds was wrought His-name is day by day re peated in a ward of the beautiful city of Oglethorpe whose liberation he died to achieve, is inscribed upon the flag of one of the volunteer com panies, and dignifies a county of Georgia whose independence he gave his life to maintain. Invoking the aid of an eminent sculptor to embody their gratitude and respect in a permanent; artistic memorial, the citizens of Savannah, with imposing ceremonies, dedicated in Monterey Square to the memory of.Count Pulaski a monument which, in purity of conception, symmetry of form, and varied attractions, stands at once a gem of art and a noble expression of a people's gratitude. . * In another of the high places of this city, rises a shaft testifying the admiration of the present and the coming generations for the distin guished services, unselfish' devotion, and heroic death of Sergeant Will iam Jasper. ^ , . : U

\

Upon the frltfidiawal 4if the French and ^Anterkaa fe«es from the
S- -f

4 '

SIEG* or SAVANNAH RAISED.
field, a' trace of four hours was requested and allowed for dead and collecting the wounded To the allied army was eoc0*de£ Cfce melancholy privilege of into*|ji£o*^ «»ch of the slain as lay bejroa*tB», abatis. The bodies of sucfcas were kiBed within the abatis wet* bvtfert by the British ; and there «|»y remain to this day without monad of «•*> umn to designate their It b stated by Captain McCaH that two hundred and thirty of slain, and one hundred and sixteen wooflded were deKvered wp by the English, with the understanding that the latter saotfkl be accounted for ;l • as prisoners of war. Although urged by General Lincoln not to abandon the siege*1 the grevious loss camp, frequent fleet, and the the coast i*. he resolved at

' It would apfKtf tkat DM
as decisive of In proof of this, we «Nr to «

[then Co aal of which Bes befort us] from which we niato the fuftiwiu^ TirinuM

"HOND MADAM : I acquainted my dear Safiy this morning that abort daybreak we had made an assault on' the Enemy's Lines and were repulsed, owing chiefly to those who said- they knew the way for the different Columns to tike & who Were to lie our guides not being such masters of the ground as they ought to have been: MyUBMtiMr, Mr. Horry.-Hugh Rutledge, Major Butler, Mr. R. Smith, Ladson, Gadsden, ray Cons**... and most of our Friends are wefl. Major Wise & Major Mode are killed r Count DtTE*taing wounded, not dangerously: Count Pulasid also wounded, I am ajraid atortftoy: Jack Jones [Major John Jones, aid to Geneval Lachlan Mclntosh], a nephew of Of Cousin Charles [the father of the Honorable Charles Pfnckney, governor of South Car , olina, etc.], is killed. they are convinced it was only owing u The Repulse seems not to dispirit our men, as to a mistake of the ground, & I have not the feastjkwbt but that we shall soon be fa *• My regiment and the Sixth preserved their order rnvfelabfe, & gave faction; theChariestown MiBtia, particularly theVehmttart " " "
__ ». -.-;.' • . ....--VJ*"'

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'••Hi

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.
gave orders for dismantling the batteries and returning the guns oa ship* board. Causton's Blaff was selected as the point for embarkation. With a view to protecting this avenue of retreat, two hundred aad ninety-two men were detailed from the regiments of Armagnac and Auxerrois aad from the marines, and posted at three points to the east of Savannah. On the rsth, M. de Bretigny arrived from Charlcstown tod requested Count d'Estaing to send nine hundred French troops for the protection of that city. The requisition was refused. Desertions from the ranks of the allied army multiplied daily. During the removal of their guns* munitions, and camp equipage, the French were not interrupted by the English. The Virginia, Carolina, and Georgia militia withdrew by land on the 15th, and there remained with the French troops only the regulars and Pulaski's command. At ten o'clock on the morning of the i8th the tents and camp uten sils were placed in wagons, and the same day were transported to the point of embarkation. At eleven o'clock at night the Americans moved to the left and the French to the right, and thus the camp before Savan nah was brqktn up. General Lincoln then marched far Zubly's ferry, tm route for Charlestown. The French proceeded only about two miles in the direction of Causton's Bluff where they halted for the night and remained until the ensuing day that they might be near enough to assist General Lincoln in the event that the English attempted oh this side of the river to interrupt his retreat Causton's Bluff was reached at five o'clock on Tuesday morning, the 19th of October, and the work of embarkation commenced. It was com pleted by the a 1st, when, in the language of the French journal, " Caus* ton's Creek and all Georgia are evacuated." The following English vessels were captured by the French fleet while upon the Georgia coast: the ship Experiment^ of fifty guns, having, on board Major-General Garth, thirty thousand pounds sterling* and a large quantity of anay steres; th« ship Arid, of twenty guns; the ifyrtk, a vktualer: the Ckampitn, a store ship; the ship Fbmc\ the ship Victoryt richly freighted, and several small sloops, schooners, and <&astUtg vessel* laden with nee aad flour. Two privateer sloops, of ten gun* each, and three schooners were taken in Great Ogeechee

LIST OP FRIMCH
n«l Wfcit*. !• addfeMM. the British wore forotd to sink the atrip* and SavttmutA awi foot- transports in a sorrow part of the Savannah River, beta* the town, to prevent the aacea* of the French men of-war. Several vessels were ako sunk above Savannah to preclude the near ap» proaeh of the French and Ameiican galleys, which, passing up the North River and founding Hutchiason's Island, threatened an attack from that direction. . / • The foHowing is a list of the French vessels of war under the com* mand of Admiral the Count d'Estaingt concentrated on the Georgia coast during the operations against Savannah :
FIRST DIVISION: Commanded by Bougainville.

After* tiie iapte of a century we are not inclined to dwell «£ea the mistakes committed ^during the conduct of this memorable siege. The overweening confidence of Count d'Estaiag in the soperiority of his aratf; h*s eagirnesa, at the outset, to plack the laurel of victory **d entwine it

t

.HISTORY OF SAVANNAH:

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around his individual brow; his manifest error in not insisting upon an immediate response to his summons for surrender; his delay in not as saulting at the earliest moment when the English defensive lines were in complete and poorly armed, and when Colonel Maitland and his splendid command formed no part of the garrison; the injudicious selection of a poiat for attack; and the confusion and lack of concert which prevailed in conducting the columns of assault against the enemy's works, may fairly be criticised. But we forbear. We prefer to recall only the gener osity which prompted the alliance, the valor which characterized the troops, and the heroic action which has given to the history of Savannah and the State of Georgia a chapter than which none is bloodier, braver, or more noteworthy. Errors of judgment belong to the past, while the fraternity evolved, the patriotism displayed, and the examples of courage, patient endurance, and glorious death born of the event constitute now and will continue to form subjects of special boast Bitter was the disappointment experienced by the Americans at this disastrous result. From the cooperation of the French the most decided and fortunate issue had been anticipated. Generously couched was Gen eral Lincoln's letter to Congress: " Count d'Estaing has undoubtedly the interest of America at heart. This he has evidenced by coming over to our assistance, by his constant attention during the siege, his undertak ing to reduce the enemy by assault when he despaired of effecting it otherwise, and by bravely putting himself at the head of his troops and leading them to the attack. In our service he has freely bled. I feei much for him; for while he is suffering the distresses of painful wounds on a boisterous ocean, he has to combat chagrin. I hope he will be con soled by an assurance that although he has not succeeded according to his wishes and those of America, we regard with high approbation his intentions to serve as, and that his want of success will not lessen our ideas of his merit" > We cannot resist the temptation to introduce here the following esti mate of the character of Count d'Estaing expressed by one of his naval officers when commenting upon the failure of the effort to capture Savan nah. Our translation is literal. " Covetous of glory, excited by his successes, and easily seduced by an invitation from the Sieur de Bretigny

COUNT D'ESTAING.

393

who made him believe that the conquest of Savannah was an easy matter, Count d'Estaing was unable to resist a desire, rising superior to the haz ard, to attempt to add new triumphs to those which he had already . * achieved. " If zeal, activity, eagerness, and ambition to accomplish great deeds are worthy of recompense, never will France be able sufficiently to ac knowledge her obligations to Count d'Estaing. With much intelligence, he possesses the enthusfasm and the fire of a man twenty years of age. Enterprising, bold even to temerity, all things appear possible to him. He fancies no representations which bring home to him a -knowledge of difficulties. Whoever dares to describe them as formidable, is illy re ceived. He wishes every one to view and to think of his plans as he does. The sailors believe him inhuman. Many died upbraiding him with their misery and unwilling to pardon him ; but this is a reproach incident to his austere mode of life, because he is cruel to himself We have seen him, sick and attacked with scurvy, never desiring to make use of any remedies, working day and night, sleeping only an hour after dinner, his head resting upon his hands, sometimes lying down, but with out undressing. "Thus have we observed Count d'Estaing during this campaign. There is not a man in his fleet who would believe that he has endured all the fatigue which he has undergone. When lam pow asked if he is a good general, it is difficult for me to respond to this inquiry. He com mined much to chance and played largely the game of hazard But that he was energetic, adventurous almost to rashness, indefatigable in his enter prises which he conducted with an ardor of which, had we not followed him, we could have formed no conception, and that to all this he added much intellect, and a temper which imparted great austerity to his char acter, we are forced to admit." In appreciation of his meritorious services the General Assembly of Georgia granted twenty thousand acres of land to Count d'Estaing, and I admitted him to all the privileges, liberties, and immunities of a free citi zen of the State. The exultation of the English garrison was, on the 25th of October, mingled with grief at the sudden death of Colonel Maitland. Some say he was carried off by a fever contracted at Beaufort Others affirm that

\

_^_____________i_______________________ f he fell a victim to strong drink. He was a brilliant officer and an ac complished gentleman. After the departure of Count d'Estaing and the retreat of General Ancoln, the condition of Savannah and the seacoast of Georgia became more pitiable than ever. Exasperated by the formidable demonstration which, at the outset, seriously threatened the overthrow of British do minion in Georgia, and rendered more arrogant and exacting, the loy alists set out in every direction upon missions of insult, pillage, and inhu manity. - Plundering banditti roved about unrestrained, seizing negroe's, stock, furniture, wearing apparel, plate, jewels, and anything they coveted. Children were severely beaten to compel a revelation of the places where their parents had concealed, or were supposed to have hidden valuable personal property or money. Confiscation of estates and incarceration or expatriation were the only alternatives presented to those who clave to the cause of the revolutionists. So poor were many of the inhabitants that they could n6t command the means requisite to venture upon a re moval. Even under such circumstances not a few, on foot, sought an asylum in South Carolina. Among the principal sufferers may be men tioned the families of General Mclntosh, Colonel John Twiggs, Colonel Elijah Clarke, Colonel John Baker, the brothers Habersham, and Major John Jones. Southern Georgia was emphatically under the yoke; and she was forced to pay the penalty of unsuccessful rebellion rendered ten-fold more griev ous because of this recent attempt to expel from her borders the civil and military servants of the king. The ribald language and licentious con* duct of the soldiery, coupled with the filthy demeanor and lawless acts of fugitive negroes, rendered a residence in Savannah—especially to those not in sympathy with the Crown, and to the weaker sex,—almost unen durable. Far and near the region was experiencing the direst desolations of war. " The rage between Whig and Tory ran so high," says General Moultrie, " that what was called a Georgia parole, and to be shot down, were synonymous." So stringent too were the restrictions upon trade, such was the depreciation of the paper currency, and so sadly interrupted were all agricultural and commercial adventures, that poverty and distress .were the common heritage. At this time sixteen hundred and eighteen ^dollars, paper money, were the equivalent of one dollar in gold.

294 '

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

DEPLORABLE PLIGHT OF CITIZENS.

29$

CHAPTER XXII.
Deplorable Plight of the Rebel Inhabitants of Savannah—Damaged Condition of the Town—Proclamation of Governor Wright—Legislation by the Royalist Assembly— Governor Wright's Representation with Regard to Savannah, and its Fortifications— Fall of Augusta—Colonels Twiggs and Jackson Move Forward for the Investment of Savannah—General Anthony Wayne Detached by General Greene to Reinstate the Authority of the Union Within the Limits of Georgia—Retaliatory Measures of General Alured Clarke—Military Operations of Colonel Jackson and General Wayne—Negotia tions foe the Surrender of Savannah —The Town Evacuated by the Ring's Servants— Savannah Again in the Possession of the Revolutionists—Legislative Proceedings in Savannah—Colonel Jackson and Generals Wayne and Greene Complimented—Losses Sustained bf Georgia During the Revolutionary War.

O thoroughly were the republican inhabitants of Savannah and of Southern Georgia overwhelmed by the disappointment consequent upon the disastrous failure of the allied army to retake the commercial metropolis of the young commonwealth—so entirely were they enfeebled and deserted upon the withdrawal of the American and French forces,— and so completely did they find themselves in the power of the king's troops that they were brought to the verge of despair. Organized re-. sistance was out of the question, and their lamentable condition was ren dered even more deplorable by the enforcement of orders promulgated by Governor Wright. \ To " check the spirit of rebellion," he compelled all who could have joined in the defense of Savannah, but who did not do so, " to give a very circumstantial account of their conduct during the siege." Those of the lower class whom he did not deem "materially culpable " he constrained " to furnish security for their good behavior for twelve months. Bond* were exacted of each of them to the amount of ^"100 sterling, with two sureties, each justifying in the sum of .£50. They were also required to swear allegiance to the Crown, and to subscribe a special test oath. Such as appeared to have "offended capitally" he caused to be committed and to be prosecuted for high treason. A proclamation was issued appointing the 2pth of October, 1779, as a day of public thanksgiving to Almighty God for " His divine interpo-

S

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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH. ,
sitiort " and " signal protection " displayed in the " late deliverance from the united efforts of rebellion and our natural enemies." Other procla mations, both by Governor Wright and the' military authorities, promised protection to all Georgians who would lay down their arms and submit peacefully to the restoration of English rule. Believing that all was lost, and beguiled by these offers of quiet and life, not a few of the inhabitants returned to their former allegiance to the realm. So seriously had Savannah been endamaged by the cannon and mor tars of the allied army ; so sadly had its churches and public buildings been impaired by conversion into hospitals, storehouses, and barracks ; and $o polluted were many private structures by the presence of wanton soldiers and filthy negroes, that the early and thorough restoration of the town to order and cleanliness demanded and received the earnest atten tion of Sir James Wright The wretched condition of affairs was ren dered even more frightful by the appearance of that loathsome pest, the I smallpox, and by the insubordination of the slave population which, ' having been armed and put to work in the trenches during the continu ance of the siege, now that the danger was overpast, refused in many in stances to return to obedience and former servitude. Inoculation and severe measures, however, succeeded in restoring health and comparative . security to this unhappy community. Desiring to convoke a legislative assembly, and yet apprehending, in the distracted state of the country, that only a partial representation could be secured from the parishes constituting the province as recog nized by the royal government, the governor having taken the advice of the chief justice and the attorney-general, caused writs of election to be is sued returnable on the 5Jh of May, 1780. Of the twenty-six members re turned, only fifteen appeared at Savannah and qualified. Prior assem blies} having fixed the constitutional quorum at eighteen, including the spealcer, Governor Wright was undecided as to the propriety of permit ting the Commons House of Assembly to perfect its organization and pro ceed to business. Having conferred with his council it was resolved, in view of the necessities of the case and the division of sentiment existing in the province, that the members assembled should be recognized as sufficient in number and that they should be empowered to organize. Thereupon the members present elected a speaker and proceeded to the transaction of business.

THE ROYALIST ASSEMBLY.

297

By the royalist assembly, thus lamely constituted, were two acts, re taliatory in their character and designed to offset the republican legisla tion of the 1st of March, ,1778, passed; one attainting of high treason various republicans, therein named, who were either absent from Georgia or in that portion of the province which was still in a state of rebellion against his majesty, and vesting their real and personal estate in the Crown; the other disqualifying the parties indicated, and rendering them ever afterwards incapable of holding or exercising any office of trust, honor, or profit within the limits of Georgia. Behold the fearful condition of affairs in Georgia! Royalists and re publicans contending for the mastery not only with arms, but each, by solemn legislation/denouncing the other as traitors, and declaring private property a spoil to that government which could first lay hands upon it Surely no darker picture was ever painted in the history_^f_civil_ warsJ the most bloody and unrelenting of all strifes! The devastating tread^f/ contending armies, pushed backwards and forwards over the face of a smitten country, crushing the life out of habitations and filling the land with marks of desolation and the scars of battle, is terrible ; but far more severe is that fratricidal conflict which disrupts the ties of blood, unseats mercy, dethrones humanity, abolishes the right to private property, and gives the region to general confiscation, plunder, and murder. (^Dther States there were within whose borders were heard, during the progress of the Revolution, the sounds of broader battles, but truly none can be named in which the calamities of a divided government and the horrors of interne,cine dissensions were more pronounced/^ With the exception of the two acts to which we have alluded, and certain others providing for the impressment of slaves and animals to work upon the public defenses, the legislation of the general assembly convened in Savannah during the progress of the war possesses little sig nificance. ;, The hope of returning Georgia to practical allegiance to the Crown, inspired by the capture of Savannah in December, 1778, and revived by the defeat of the allied armies in October, 1779, was always fluctuating. Although Governor Wright retained his seat in Savannah and exercised some of the functions of his office, his communications give manifest token of the fact that he was oppressed by a sense of insecurity. Time and
38

198

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

again did the republican forces, under partisan leaders, approach so closely that it was deemed dangerous tor the king's servants to venture beyond the lines which environed Savannah. Now and then was for warded a loyal address from the province assuring his majesty that his sorely tried yet faithful servants would " use their utmost endeavors to promote an attachment to his person and government and the welfare of die British Empire ;" that they " would not fail to put up their prayers to Almighty God that He would pour down His blessings upon his maj esty, his royal consort, and his numerous offspring, and that He would give him a long and happy reign, and that his posterity might sway the sceptre of the British Empire till time should be no more." And this would be quickly followed by a pitiable representation of the defenseless condition of the province, by a requisition for war-vessels to guard the coast, and by an application for a force of five hundred mounted men- with which to scour the country and repel the rebel cav alry who were plundering the governor's plantations on the Ogeechee River and thundering at the very gates of Savannah. In August, 1780, the governor reports that there were in that town not more than five hundred soldiers, and that they were quartered in the houses which had been vacated by their republican owners. *' I find," he adds, "we have only 15 nine pounders, 4 six pounders, and I four pounder, all mounted on ship carriages, late the guns of his majesty's ship Rose—2 pieces of brass six pound ordnance, 5 four pounders, and 2 three pounders—two of which only are fit to take the field—and 3 twentyfour pounders not mounted." Nevertheless, with a pertinacity worthy of all praise, we see him la boring to fortify Savannah and to confirm it as the capital of the pro vince. Acting under the provisions of a bill, which received his assent on the 3Oth of October, 1780, he ordered out over four hundred negro slaves and put them to work upon the public defenses of the town. ** We are making," so he writes to Lord George Germain on the 1st of Decem ber,1 "five Redoubts & Batterys, & there is to be a Parapet made of Fascines & Earth from the River at each end, & on the back of the town. This Parapet is 10 foot wide & 7 foot high, with a Ditch on the outside *5 foot wide at top, 10 foot deep, and sloping to the bottom 3 foot. I
f P. R, O. Am. $- W, Ind,, vol. ccxcviii

FALL of AUGUSTA.

299

think the Redoubts will be finished & each Parapet about half done, or say the whole 4 foot high by Christmas, & I expect the works will be entirely finish'd in all January. This, my Lord, is a most inconvenient thing & a heavy Tax on the People, being one fourth part of all their Male Slaves for near or quite 3 months. . . . . The late Law also enables me to call out and arm Negroes in defence of the Province, & to exercise further power over the militia, but this only in time of alarms actually fired, and there are several things provided for which we thought necessary in these yet very perilous times." . When it is asked why the republicans, under the circumstances, hes itated to undertake the recaption of Savannah, it may be fairly answered that they too were weak in numbers and enfeebled by the fortunes of war; that not a few were pining in captivity; that many, contending with hunger, w^re^trjying_^ replenish their barnsjand jicquire food for their families; while others, instanfday and night in the saddle, were defending the frontiers against the torch and the scalping knife of the savage, and the not less inhuman depredations and outrages of the loy alists. Others still were following the flag of the Confederation in the Continental armies, doing battle within the confines of sister States. With the capture of Augusta, in June, 1781, the control of Upper Georgia passed into the hands of the Revolutionists. In the capitulation of this important place Governor Wright recognized the beginning of the end In a letter to Colonel Balfour, dated Savannah June I i r I/Si, he observes: " If this Province is not recovered from the Rebels without the least delay, I conceive it may be too late to prevent the whole from being laid waste and totally destroyed, and the people ruined. We are now in a most wretched situation." The spirits of the republicans rose to a high pitch of exultation, and Colonel Twiggs directed his attention to the repossession of the middle and southern divisions' of the State. To that end he ordered Lieutenant-Colonel James Jackson with bis le gion, consisting of three companies of cavalry and two of infantry, to move in the direction of Savannah and to occupy positions as near the enemy as becoming caution would suggest His general instructions to this dashing officer were to annoy the outposts and detachments of bis antagonist as fully as the means at command would allow, and to retreat or advance as circumstances might justify. This service was most eneir-

f!

/•> , •'

V .C**-^

<,-^

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.
getically and effectually performed by Colonel Jackson. Meanwhile Colonel Twiggs, having dispersed a body of loyalists and Indians near the Oconee River, moved forward with his command for the support of his capable subaltern. Although too weak to hazard an assault upon the British lines around Savannah, they hovered in the vicinity, driving back the foraging parties of the enemy, threatening and sometimes capturing the royal outposts, interrupting communication with the Indians, pro tecting the persons and property of such of the patriots as tarried in the region, and eagerly awaited the arrival of the reinforcements which Gen. era! Greene had promised to send so soon as they could be spared. / The potent effect of the capitulation of Yorktown upon the minds of the British soldiery in America, the junction of the auxiliary force under General St Clair, and the recent successes of General Greene in South Carolina enabled that officer, in January, 1782, to redeem his promise and turn his attention to the relief of Georgia. For this important ser vice General%^.nthony Wayne was detached. " To reinstate as far as might be possible, the authority of the Union within the limits of Georgia" was the general mission of the hero of Stony Point He was accompanied by one hundred of Colonel Moylan's dragoons, commanded by Colonel An thony Walton White, and a detachment of field artillery. On the I2th of January he crossed the Savannah River in small boats, the cavalry horses swimming by their sides. His artillery was left behind until suit able transportation could be secured. He was soon joined by Colonel Hampton, with three hundred mounted men from General Sumter's bri gade. The infantry and cavalry of Jackson's legion then numbered only ninety men, and McCoy's volunteer corps did not exceed eighty, all told. To these Governor Martin hoped to add three hundred Georgia militia. The duty assigned to General Wayne of keeping a close watch upon the enemy and, if the occasion presented, of attempting the capture of Savannah by a nocturnal assault, was so efficiently discharged that pred atory bands of soldiers and loyalists were seldom seen beyond the lines of that town. The customary intercourse of the Indians with the garri son was largely restrained. That garrison, including the reinforcement recently sent by Lord Rawdon and a corps of one hundred and fifty ne groes armed and enrolled as infantry and commanded by the notorious

/

GENERAL WAYNE BEFORE SAVANNAH.

301

Brown, consisted of thirteen hundred regular troops and about five hun dred loyal militia. The town itself was strongly fortified. , Its land ap proaches were suitably defended by field arid siege guns judiciously posted. Armed row-galleys and brigs covered the water front So closely were these lines watched, and so strictly were the British forces confined to their defenses, that the gallant Jackson on more than one occasion demonstrated almost up to the town gates and picked off men and horses from the common. As soon as the advance of the American forces under General Wayne was known un Savannah, Brigadier-General Alured Clarice,-who com manded the royal troops in Georgia, " directed his officers, charged with^ his outposts, to lay waste the country with fire and to retire with their! troops and all the provisions they could collect into Savannah." This order was rigidly executed, and the circumjacent district was devastated. "In consequence whereof, Wayne found it necessary to draw his sub sistence from South Carolina, which added to the difficulties daily expe rienced in providing for the main army." General Henry Lee, in his " Memoirs," compliments in high terms General Wayne's conduct during this period. " While in command before Savannah," so he writes, " his orders, his plans, his motions, all bespoke foresight and vigilance; and although he played a hazardous game, he not only avoided detriment or ** affront, but added to the honor of our arms." Anxious to enlarge the limits of the civil authority, Governolf Mar tin, so soon as General Wayne had permanently established'his head quarters at Ebenezer, removed the seat of government to that town. During this period of the practical investment of Savannah, ithe en terprise, watchfulness, and intrepidity of Colonel Jackson were beyond all praise. After various skirmishes with the loyalists and Indians, and having signally defeated the valorous chief Guristersigo, who, with three hun dred followers, was moving for the relief of General Alured Clarke in Savannah, General Wayne drew his military meshes closer and closer around that town to the evident dismay of Governor Wright and its gar rison. Having been officially notified of the proceeding's of Parliament contemplating an adjustment of the existing difficulties between England and America and foreshadowing an early acknowledgment of the inde-

302

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

pendence of the United colonies, his excellency, Sir James, promptly communicated this intelligence to General Wayne, and accompanied his dispatch with a proposal that there should be a cessation of hostilities. Pending a reference of this request to General Greene who, in turn, took counsel of the Continental Congress, matters reached a crisis in the royal camp upon the arrival of a communication from Sir Guy Carleton, dated New York, May 23, 1782, ordering the evacuation both of Savannah and of the province of Georgia, and notifying the authorities that transports might be expected to bring away not only the troops and military and public stores, but also Governor Wright and all loyalists who desired to depart Although anticipated, this intelligence created a profound im pression among soldiers and civilians. The latter were most anxious to ascertain what their status would be under the changed condition of af fairs, and to secure pledges that they would be unmolested in the enjoy ment of personal liberty and private property. Negotiations were at once opened between Governors Wright and Martin, and between the British merchants, represented by Major Hale, and General Wayne. Early in July that officer was waited upon by a deputation of mer chants and citizens bearing a- flag. As British subjects, they desired to know upon what terms they would be permitted to remain in Savannah after the withdrawal of the king's troops. They requested also to be in formed whether their rights of property would be respected. Upon conference with Governor Martin it was concluded "to offer assurances of safety for the persons and property of such inhabitants as chose to remain in Savannah after it should be evacuated by the British troops, and that a reasonable time would be allowed them to dispose of their property and settle their pecuniary concerns in the State." It was emphatically declared that persons who had been guilty of murder or atrocious crimes were liable to trial and punishment according to the laws of Georgia. For the safety of such culprits the governor declined to stipulate, alleging very properly that the executive could not rightfully exercise control in matters which, by the constitution of Georgia, were cognizable by the courts. In the case of merchants, ample opportunity would be afforded for them to sell their goods and adjust their accounts. At the expiration of a reasonable period a flag would be granted to con vey them and their property to any convenient British port they might select.

TERMS OF SURRENDER.

303

With regard to those inhabitants who, having served in the king's mil itia, were now willing to enlist in the Georgia regiment of infantry for two years or the war, assurance was given that every effort would be expended in procuring the passage of an act granting oblivion of all offenses which they might have committed, except murder. " In offering these terms," said General Wayne, " I had in view not only the interest of the United States but also that of Georgia: by re-, taining as many inhabitants and merchants as circumstances would ad mit, and with them a considerable quantity of goods much wanted for public and private use; but (what was yet of greater consequence) to complete your quota of troops without any expense to the public, and thus reclaim a number of men who, at another day, will become valuable members of society. This also appeared to me an act of justice tempered with mercy : justice to oblige those who'have joined or remained with the enemy to expiate their crime by military service; and mercy, to ad mit the repentant sinner to citizenship after a reasonable quarantine. By these means those worthy citizens [the Whigs], who have so long en dured every vicissitude of fortune with more than Roman virtue, will be relieved from that duty." These terms having been reported in Savannah, another deputation was appointed to enter into definite stipulations. That they might be well understood, it was requested that they should be reduced to writing. This was accordingly done. To Major John Habersham, an officer of the Georgia line, a native of Savannah, a gentleman whose personal charac ter inspired confidence, and whose correct conduct and polished ad'dress commanded the utmost respect even from those who were inimical to the cause which he espoused, was this negotiation chiefly confided on the part of the patriots. "Satisfied with the assurances of protection which were given," writes Captain McCall, " many of the British subjects who resided with their families in Savannah discontinued the preparations which they had com menced for removal, and became citizens of the United States. Such of the loyalists as were unwilling to subscribe to the conditions proposed removed with their families and the property they had in possession to Cockspur and Tybee islands, where they encamped until the transports were ready to sail. Among this number there were many whose atro-

304

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

cious conduct during the war would have placed their lives at great haz ard if they had been tried by the civil authorities of the State. Others had in possession large fortunes in negroes and other property which had been plundered from their republican countrymen." In anticipation of the early departure of the British forces General Wayne published the following order:

" HEAD QUARTERS, CAMP AT GIBBONS', July \oth, 1782.
" As the enemy may be expected daily to evacuate the town, the troops will take care to be provided with a clean shift of linnen, and to make themselves as respectable as possible for the occasion. The offi cers are particularly called upon to attend to this order and see it exe cuted in their respective corps. No followers of the army are to be per mitted to enter the town until the main body has marched in. Lieut: Col: Jackson, in consideration of his severe and fatiguing service in the advance, is to receive the keys of Savannah, and is allowed to enter at the western gate, keeping a. patrole in town to apprend stragglers who may steal in with the hopes of plunder. Marauders may assure themselves of the most severe and exemplary punishment" 1 The very next day (July n, 1782) the British troops evacuated Sa vannah, and, in the afternoon General Wayne entered with his forces and took possession of the town. This done, the following order was forth with promulga^d :

" HEAD QUARTERS, SAVANNAH, nth July, 1782.
" The light infantry company under Captain Parker to take post in the centre work in front of the town, placing sentries at the respective gate ways and sally ports to prevent any person or persons going from or en tering the lines witrfput written permits until further orders. " No insults or depredations to be committed upon the persons or property of the inhabitants on any pretext whatever. The civil authority only will take cognizance of the criminals or defaulters belonging to the State, if any there be. The merchants and traders are immediately to make out an exact and true invoice of all goods, wares, or merchandise of every species, dry, wet, or hard, respectively belonging to them or in their possession, with the original invoices, to the Commissary, who will
' Charlton's Life of Jackson, Part I., p. 43. Augusta. 1809.

FORMAL SURRENDER OF SAVANNAH.

305

select such articles as may be necessary'for the army and for the public uses of the State, for which a reasonable profit will be allowed. No goods or merchandise of any kind whatever are to be removed, secreted, sold, or disposed of, until the public and army are first served, which will be as soon as possible after the receipt of the invoices, &c. " N. B. Orders will be left with Captain Parker for the immediate admission of the Honorable the Executive Council, and the Honorable the Members of the Legislature, with their officers and attendants." To Colonel Jackson were the keys of the town delivered-, at its prin cipal gate, in token of formal surrender; and he enjoyed the profound | pleasure and distinguished honor of being the first to enter Savannah from which the patriots had be*n forcibly expelled in December, I778. 1 This compliment was well merited and handsomely bestowed. It was a just recognition of the patriotism and gallantry which characterized him during the war, and of the activity displayed by him as the leader of the vanguard of the army of occupation. Thus, after the lapse of three years and a half, was the capital of Georgia wrested from the dominion of the royal forces and restored to the possession of the sons of liberty. With the departure of the British garrison there lingered not a single servant of the' king on Georgia soil. Although no treaty of peace had yet been consummated between England and America, this surrender of Georgia into the hands of the republic ans was hailed as a practical abandonment of the war on the part of the realm, and was regarded as an earnest of a speedy recognition of the in dependence of the United States. And so it proved. If we may credit the contemporaneous accounts, between the I2th and 25th of July, 1782, in addition to the garrison, from Savannah and its vicinity were transported five hundred .women and children, three hun dred Indians, and several thousand negroes. Governor Wright, accom panied by some of the civil and military officers, was conveyed to Charlestown, S. C, in the Princess Caroline. General Alured Clarke, with a portion of the British regulars, sailed for New York. Colonel Brown with . his rangers and some Indians repaired to St. Augustine. Others, includ ing the negroes, were carried to the West India Islands under convoy of
1 See Charlton's Life of Jackson, Part I., p. 44. Augusta.
39

1809.

306

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

the frigate Zebra, the sloop of war Vulture, and other armed vessels which had been ordered to the Georgia coast for that purpose. 1 By these departing loyalists, many of whom had been guilty of enor mities the most revolting, was Georgia grossly despoiled. Gathering about them slaves and personal property plundered during a series of years from republican owners intent upon an assertion of their claims to liberty, they effected an escape to distant parts where, avoiding punish ment for past ofifenses, they enjoyed their gains ill-gotten in an unholy strife. So far as the record stands, no return was ever made of this stolen property, no compensation offered to the impoverished repub licans who, amid the general wreck of desolated homes and vanished possessions, sought a modicum of comfort and subsistence. Leaving Colonel Jackson with his legion and Major John Habersham's corps of^iew recruits in charge of Savannah, General Wayne marched with his forces to South Carolina where he joined General Greene. " I wish you to be persuaded," wrote that great .and generous officer to his subaltern, " that I shall do you ample justice in my public accounts to Congress and the Commander-in-Chief. I think you have conducted your command with great prudence and with astonishing perseverance ; and in so doing you fully answered the high expectations I ever enter tained of your military abilities from our earliest acquaintance." Following close upon the heels of the military came members of the executive council, who established themselves in Savannah on the I4th of July. There being many lawless, profligate, idle, and runaway ne groes in the town and its vicinity, one of the first acts performed by this body was the appointment of Joseph Clay, James Habersham, John Houston, William LeConte, John Wereat, William O'Bryan, John Kean, Peter Deveaux, Thomas Stone, Peter Taarling, and Joseph Woodruff as a special committee to take into immediate custody all negro slaves ab sent from their masters, and all suspected property. This done, public notice was given so that owners might prove property aud reacquire pos session. The Legislature quickly convened and approved the agreement made between Governor Martin ariH General Wayne and the British merchants in Savannah, rendering it obligatory upon the latter to expose their goods
' See McCall's History of Georgia, vol. ii., p. 420. Savannah. 1816.

_

307 . DEPLORABLE CONDITION. __._____•______ __* __i_____

or sale at fair profit and to abstain from anything savoring of extortion. Bills were passed forbidding the exportation of salt, provisions, and other necessaries of life; placing the Georgia battalion upon an eq'ual footing with the continental troops as to pay, clothing, and rations; re opening the courts of justice ; encouraging churches and schools; and prescribing terms upon which the disaffected might again be admitted to the privileges enjoyed by citizens of Georgia. Arrangements were made for refunding the supplies and moneys ad vanced to soldiers in the field by officers and citizens during the progress of the Revolution. Bounties were offered to seamen who would man the two galleys ordered to be built for harbor defense. Questions touching the creation of a suitable navy, the adjustment of the public accounts, the equipment of troops, the sale of confiscated estates, and other matters of consequence were carefully discussed. In acknowledgment of his " great and useful services to his Country, for which he is entitled to the notice and attachment of the Legislature," it was resolved ty that body that the "House which heretofore belonged to Mr. Tattnall in Savannah be granted to Colonel Jackson.'- Governor Martin was instructed to issue a proclamation calling upon the inhabit ants of Savannah to assemble at a given time and place to inquire into the character of all persons deemed suspicious, and to tender the oath of allegiance to such as might be found worthy the. privileges of citizenship. On the 3 ist of July the committees, previously appointed for that pur pose, reported that they had, upon the sales of confiscated estates, pur chased for General Anthony Wayne, at a cost of ;£3,9OO the plantation late the property oj Alexander Wright, containing eight hundred and forty acres; and for General Nathanael Greene the plantation recently owned by Lieutenant: Governor John Grahame, containing two thousand one hundred and seventy-one acres, for the sum of ^"7,097 igs. The Legislature was busily engaged in the passag^ of measures which would conduce to the rehabilitation of the State. Deplorable was the condition of Georgia. For forty-two long months had she been a prey to rapine, oppression, fratricidal strife, and poverty. Fear, unrest, the brand, the sword, the tomahawk, had been her portion. In the abstraction of negro slaves, by the burning of dwellings, in the obliteration of plantations, by the destruction of agricultural implements,

308

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

, fand by theft of domestic animals and personal effects, it is estimated that [Mat least one-half of the available property of the inhabitants had, during : ;fthis period, been completely swept away. Real estate had depreciated J jin value. Agriculture was at a standstill, and there was no money with which to repair these losses and inaugurate a new era of prosperity. The lamentations of widows and orphans, too, were heard in the land. These not only bemoaned their dead, but cried aloud for food. Amid the general depression there was, nevertheless, a deal of gladness in the hearts of the people, a radiant* joy, an inspiring hope. Independence had been won at great cost. J[t was prized all the more, and the suffer ings endured in its acquisition were remembered only with pride. In the near future it was believed that all sorrows would be speedily forgot ten, all losses rapidly repaired. Therefore there was no'repining, and each, sharing the burthen of his neighbor, set about, and that right man fully, providing for the present and laying the foundations for prosperous and happy days. The population of Georgia, as reported by Governor Wright l to the Earl of Dartmouth on the 2Oth of Decembej'^ J773, consisted of upwards of aighteen thousand whites and fifteen thousand blacks. If it be true, |as Dr. Ramsay 2 suggests, that the State lost during the progress of the ^Revolution- one thousand of her inhabitants' and four thousand slaves, it : appears scarcely probable, allowing a reasonable rate of increase and atthe same time paying due regard to the retarding influences of the strug gle, that Georgia, upon the conclusion, could claim many more inhabit ants than she numbered at the inception of the war. We question whether her population aggregated more than thirty-five thousand. Un fortunately we find no data upon which to predicate a definite estimate. By the General Assembly "which convened in Savannah in January, /I783, that sterling patriot and worthy gentleman, Dr. Lyman Hall, was elected governor of Georgia. On the 3ist of that month George Walton was selected to fill the position of chief justice; Samuel Stirk was ap pointed attorney genera!; Jolirr Martin, treasurer; John Milton, secre tary of State ; Richard Call, surveyor-general; Joseph Woodruff, col lector of the port of Savannah; and John Lawson, jr., collector for the
' P. R. Ov Am. & W. Ind., No. 235. * History of the Revolution of South Carolina, volume ii., page 370.
MDCCLXXXV.

Trenton.

EARLY LEGISLATION.

309

town and port of Sunbury. Registers of probate and assistant justices were named for the respective counties. Land offices were established and commissioners were designated to superintend the sales of confis cated property. The payment of the public debt was receiving due con sideration. Officers and soldiers were rewarded with bounty warrants for military services rendered. William Mclntosh, Samuel Stirk, and John Wereat, as commissioners on the part of the State, were negotiat ing with Governor Patrick Tonyn, of East Florida, for the accommoda tion of all differences and the prevention of disturbances along the line of the St Mary's River. General Lachlan Mclntosh, John Houstoun, and Edward Telfair were designated as proper parties to "settle and ad just the northern boundaries of Georgia," and to treat with such com missioners as might be selected by the State of South Carolina for that purpose. It was proposed to organize a " Court of Claims to determine the rights of contested property." Temples of justice and of religion were now open in the land. - Provision was made for public education. The entire machinery of State government was in motion. Peace and independence had been formally conceded to the United States.

CHAPTER XXIII.
Early Legislation Affecting Savannah—The Town Divided into Wards—Incorpor ated inte a City—Condition of the Place in 1782—Longevity of the Inhabitants—Form ation of the Chatham Artillery—Ceremonies Observed upon the Sepulture of General Nathanael Greene—Death and Burial of General Samuel Elbert—Demise of the Hon. Jonathan Bryan—Cultivation of Cotton and Rice—Health of Savannah.

HILE a ward of the trustees, Georgia was obedient to such rules and regulations as they saw fit to prescribe. Savannah being the chief town and the capital of the Province, was governed by them through the intervention of an agent or president, aided by designated assistants. Bailiffs were named to preserve order, while magistrate's courts sufficed, in the main, to decide all matters in controversy between the inhabitants. When the trustees surrendered their charter, and Georgia, as a royal

W

3io

HISTORY or SAVANNAH.

province, passed under the immediate control of the crown, Savannah continued to be the capital of the plantation. The governor and a ma jority of the members of council there resided, and the affairs of the town were administered by the provincial general assembly under the super vision of the governor and council. The legislation of this period had respect chiefly to the establishment and conduct of the market and of the watch,—to the conservation of the common appurtenant to the town,— to the construction and repair of public buildings and defenses,— to the organization of a workhouse,—to the control of slaves and porters,—to the care of churches and cemeteries,-—to the maintenance of courts of justice,—to prescribing regulations for the control of sailors, pilots, pow der receivers, lighthouse keepers, and retailers of spirituous liquors,—and to the cleanliness of the streets and squares. Subject to the sanction of the governor and council, the government of this little quasi municipality was assumed by the general assembly. Disputes having arisen touching the plan of the town and the "com mon thereto belonging," as ascertained by the act of the 9th of June 1/^61, the general assembly, by an act assented to on the lOth of May 1770, determined " the true plan of the town and common of Savannah, including the several wharf lots under the bank or bluff." On the 19th of February, I787, 1 the town of Savannah and the ham lets thereof were, " by the freemen of the State of Georgia in general assembly met," divided into seven wards: " the town as usual to consist of six: viz.: Percival, Derby, Anson. Reynolds, Heathcote, and Decker wards, and the hamlets of Ewensburgh and Yamacraw shall constitute the seventh, and be known by the name of Oglethorpe's ward." On the the first Monday in March annually, the proprietors of lots or houses within the said wards, being of full age, were directed to meet at the court-house in Savannah and, under the direction of two or more magis trates, proceed to elect a warden for each ward, " who shall also be a proprietor of a house or lot within the limits of the town or hamlets." On the ensuing Monday the wardens, so chosen, were directed to meet and, from their number, elect by ballot one to act as president of the board.2 They were also empowered to elect a clerk and such other offi1 Watkins's Digest, p. 354. * Under the provisions of this act William Stephens was elected president in 1787. and Samuel Stirk in 1788 and 1789.

EARLY LEGISLATION.

311

ctra as they might deem necessary, make by-laws and regulations, and impose such "pains, penalties, and forfeitures" as should be "conducive to the good order and government^ the town and hamlets." Powers of assessment and taxation, of lease, rent, and sale, of recovery by warrant of distress, of regulating public docks, and of performing other functions incident to the efficient administration of the municipal govern ment confided to them were also delegated. For the information of the inhabitants the president and wardens, through their clerk, were required to publish in the Georgia Gazette monthly statements of all moneys re ceived and expended. The wardens elected under the provisions of this act were " vested with the powers and authority of justices of the peace within the town and hamlets thereof." By an act of the general assembly, assented to on the 2^d of Decem ber, I78p, l it was provided: "That the said town of Savannah shall be hereafter known and called by the style and name of the CITY OF SAVNAH; and that on the first Monday in March, one thousand seven hun dred and ninety, and thereafter annually the owners or occupiers of any lot or house in the said city or hamlets shall, under the direction of any two or more justices in the said city, elect an alderman for each ward . . . . from among the said citizens generally, who shall, on the Monday following after the election of such aldermen, choose from their own body a mayor; 2 and that from and after the election of such alder men and mayor, their style shall be the MAYOR AND ALDERMEN OF THE CITY OF SAVANNAH, AND THE HAMLETS THEREOF : '. . . . and they are hereby empowered to carry into execution the powers in tended, . ... and shall be a body politic and corporate, to have and to use a common seal, with power to sue and be sued, plead or be impleaded, and may acquire, have, hold, and enjoy real or personal property for the use and benefit of the said city and hamlets."
1 Watkins's Digest, p. 416. * Under the provisions of this act the following majors" were elected during the eigh teenth century, viz.: John Houstoun in 1790, Thomas Gibbons in 1791, Joseph Habersha-n in 1792, William Stephens in 1793, Thomas Gibbons in 1794, William Stephens in 1795, John Y. Noel in 1796, John Glenn in 1797, Matthew McAHister in 1798, Mat thew McAllisterrn 1799. and Thomas Gibbons in 1800. For this list of mayors I am indebted to the courtesy of the Hon. Rufus E. Lester, mayor, and Mr. Frank E. Rebaret, clerk of council.

312

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

By the Xllth section of this act provision was made for the appoint^ ment of a health officer for the port of Savannah, whose duty it should be, in order to prevent the spread of "disorders or contagious distem pers," to " go on board every vessel arriving from a foreign port, and before her arrival at Five Fathom Hole, and there examine as to the health of the crew and passengers on board, and certify the same to the captain or commander of such vessel; for which certificate such physician shall be entitled to receive, and the captain of such vessel shall pay three dollars, after which being granted, the said crew and passengers shall be permitted to pass Fort Wayne, and not otherwise." 1 On the 18th of February 1796, the mayor and aldermen of the city of Savannah and the hamlets thereof were empowered to hold monthly courts for the' determination of civil causes, not involving the right or title to land, "arising within the jurisdiction of the corporation," where "the demand in such suit or action did not exceed fifty "dollars," and to " give judgment and award execution therein according to law." 2 On the 29th of December, 1794, the general assembly of Georgia, 3 - in consideration of the fact that the citizens of Savannah had provided two fire engines for the use of the city, declared it lawful for " any num ber of persons, not exceeding thirty, who shall be citizens of this State, and inhabitants of the city of Savannah, to form and associate themselves together as a fire company, under the style and denomination of the FlRE COMPANY OF THE CITY OF SAVANNAH." They were authorized to elect from their number " fn like manner as provided in the militia law, officers to command them, not exceeding four, who shall be commissioned by his excellency the governor." Except in times of actual invasion, insurrection, or alarm, the officers and men of this fire company were to be exempt from the performance of militia duty. On the 6th of February, 1796, upon proper petition exhibited, Will iam Stephens, grand master, James Jackson, past grand master, William Stith, deputy grand master, James Box Young, senior grand warden, Edward Lloyd and Belthazer ShafTer, past grand wardens, Ulrich Tobler,
1 This act was amended by the acts of January 7, 1795, and of February 13, 1797. See Watkins's Digest, pp. 556, 663. 1 Watkins's Digest, p. 589. *Walkins's Digest, p. 553.

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junior grand warden, George Jones, past »grand treasurer, James Robertson, grand treasurer, David B. Mitchell, past grand secretary, and -John Blackstock, grand secretary of the grand lodge of free masons in Georgia, and others who might become members of the grand lodge, and their successors were, by act 1 "of the general assembly, created a body corporate in the city of Savannah under the style of " The Grand Lodge of Georgia." By two acts 2 of the General Assembly, approved on the I3th of Feb ruary, 1/97, the tax on all lots in the city of Savannah, the improve ments upon which had been destroyed by the disastrous fire of the pre vious year, was remitted for the years 1796 and 1797; and one-third of the revenue or income which the State should derive during the year 1797 from the tax imposed on negroes brought into Georgia for sale, was appropriated for the benefit and relief of the unfortunate sufferers by that severe calamity. Such are the* provisions of some of the leading acts, passed by the General Assemblies of Georgia, affecting Savannah during the eighteenth century. That town continued to be the capital of the province and of the nas cent State until its capture by Colonel Campbell in December, 1778. The seat of government was thereupon transferred to Augusta. For a little while after its evacuation by the British forces in 1782, the Legisla ture assembled at and held its sessions in Savannah. At that time the population oi the town consisted of less than eight hundred whites, most of them in impoverished circumstances. Their private dwellings did, not exceed two hundred and twenty-seven, and not a few of thenvhad been sadly marred by the fortunes of war. Negro slaves were unruly. The public buildings were in a neglected and filthy condition, (pommerce was at a standstill, and poverty was the common heritage. In 1787 there had occurred no material increase in the population of Savannah, but soon afterwards the inhabitants began to multiply. :' In 1794 the
1 Walkins's Digest, pp. 571. 572. * Watkins's Digest, pp. 661, 677. ; *In the Georgia Gazette of Thursday, June 14, 1787, we find the following commu nication addressed to the printer : "Mr. Johnston : The general although ill-founded prejudice against the healthiness of the lower part of the State of Georgia induced a cit izen of Savannah to take the following account of the inhabitants now living in the town,

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:'

ft

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residents within the corporate limits were reckoned at twenty five hun dred ; and. six years afterwards, the town claimed a population of over six thousand. The clouds which had so long overshadowed the land had all disappeared. Negro labor, sadly unsettled by the protracted and vio lent contest between loyalist and republican, was again subjected to re munerative employment. Agricultural operations had been successfully resumed. Gotten and rice fields were yielding generous harvests. Trader&kwere busy in their shops, and merchants in their counting-houses. WJiite- winged messengers of thrift and peace were again hovering near the wharves of Savannah. Schools and churches welcomed young and eld to the benches of learning and religion, and manifest signs of com fort, confentment, and prosperity were abroad in the little city of Ogle'thorpe. Moved by patriotic considerations, and influenced by impulses of the noblest character, some of the leading citizens of Savannah on the first of May, 1786, united in the formation of an Artillery Company J which has ever sfnce been held in the highest esteem in the community. Scarcely was the association formed when its members were summoned to assist in the reduction of a fortified camp of negro marauders located on Bear Creek in Effingham county. On the 2Oth of June, 1786, General Nathanael Greene was interred, with all the pomp and circumstances at command, in the old cemetery on South Broad street in Savannah, After a short and violent illness be had died at his plantation on the Savannah River, a few miles above Sa vannah, and his body was transported by water to that city for sepul ture. As the boat conveying his remains neared the wharf, and until his coffin was deposited in the tomb, minute-guns were discharged from Fort Wayne. The ships m port displayed their colors at half-mast All the shops were closed, and the inhabitants, suspending their customary
and within !en miles thereof, being the first settlement of Georgia fifty-four years ago, wherein there is perhaps as great a proportion of aged persons as in any other country. There are now living 10 persons between 80 and 90, 33 between 70 and 80, 69 between 60 and 70, 80 between 50 and 60; and, from the best information that can be had, the whole number of residents in the above district amounts to 2,290. It is well known that within the last two years several persons have died in Georgia from 90 to loo years of age." 1 The Chatham Artillery.

BURIAL OF GENERAL GREENE.

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avocations, united in testifying universal sorrow at the death ef one who, among the generals of the Revolution, occupied in the public esteem a place second" only to that conceded to Washington. The procession, when formed, consisted of The Chatham Artillery : The Light Infantry: Clergymen and Physicians: A Band of Music: The chief mourners:
The members of the Order of Cincinnatus: The Militia of Chatham County:

The corpse and pall-bearers, escorted on each side by a company ef dragoons:

The Speaker of the House of Assembly and other civil officers of the State; and lastly, of citizens and strangers. Meeting the corpse with its immediate attendants at the landing, the funeral cortege, about 5 o'clock in the afternoon, took up the line of march for the cemetery,—the band playing the Dead March in Saul, and the artillery firing minute-guns as it advanced. When the grave yard was reached the military formed on the right and left, and rested oft reversed arms. In the absence of an Episcopal clergyman; the furteral service of the Church of England was read by the Hon. William Stephens, and the corpse deposited in a vault. The ceremony was ter minated by a salute of thirteen guns from the artillery, and three volleys from the infantry. In the language of an eye-witness of this impressive rite, " the whole was conducted with a solemnity suitable to the occa sion."
Contemporaneous accounts do not specify the precise vault in which the coffin of General Greene was lodged. It will be remembered that in consideration of his distinguished ser vices during the war of the Revolution, and as an acknowledgment of the gratitude entertained by the people of Georgia for his conduct while in command of the Southern Department, and especially for his good offices in detaching General Wayne to expel the King's forces from the limits of the State, the General Assembly adopted the following preamble and resolutions: . •

316

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

" WHEREAS, the Honorable Major General Greene hath, since his taking the command of the Southern Army, rendered high and impor tant services to the Southern States, by wresting them from the hand of British oppression*, and establishing the foundation of their independence and prosperity: " And, whereas, services so glorious and honorable to the United States in general, and this State in particular,—services which at once characterize the able and judicious General as well as the intrepid asserter of American freedom,—call for the distinguished approbation of the Legislature of this state ; " Be it therefore resolved: That the sum of five thousand guineas be .granted to three commissioners, to be appointed by the House, for the purpose of purchasing an estate for Major-General Natbanael Greene in such part or parts of the State as he shall appoint; " Resolved, That the said commissioners be empowered and author ized to draw on, and receive the said sum of five thousand guineas from the public treasury of the State." These resolutions were carried into effect by the commissioners ap pointed for that purpose, who in due course reported that they had upon the sale of confiscated estates, purchased for General Greene, at a cost of .£7,097 igs., Mulberry Grove plantation, containing two thousand one hundred and seventy-one acres, late the property of John Grahame, royal lieutenant-governor of the Province of Georgia. So soon as his public duties permitted, and his family could be con veniently removed from Rhode Island, General Greene here fixed his home, and gave to the cultivation of these lands his earnest and intelli gent attention. In happy mood did he, at this time, write to his friends of the interest he took in his agricultural operations, of the attractions of his new abode, of its gardens, its flowers and forests, of the mocking birds from morning until evening filling the air with sweetest melody, of the balmy atmosphere, and of the hospitable attentions of his neighbors. Lieutenant-Governor Grahame had builded a family vault in the Sa vannah cemetery, and by many this possession was regarded as appur tenant to Mulberry Grove plantation. While the proof is not conclusive, the tradition lives and is generally accepted that upon the conclusion of the funeral services of the 2Oth of

MONUMENTS ERECTED TO GENERAL GREENE.
April, 1786, the coffin of General Greene was deposited in the Grahame vault, which was substantially constructed of brick. That coffin, of wood, strongly made, was surmounted by a metal plate whereon were engraven the name, rank, date of birth, and time of death of that Revo lutionary hero. Here all that was mortal of this friend of Washington ' was supposed to be resting in undisturbed repose. Anxious to testify by an enduring monument their respect for the memory alike of General Greene and of Count Pulaski, the citizens of Savannah, early in the present century, endeavored to raise a fund suf ficient for that purpose. In 1820 a committee was empowered by the mayor and aldermen of the town to search for and locate the remains of General Greene, with a view to placing them beneath that monument when the necessary arrangements for its erection should have been com pleted. That committee failed to find any trace of the coffin of that fa mous General. All inquiries instituted by its members in explanation of the cause of its disappearance remained unsatisfied. Deeming the visit of General Lafayette most .opportune for consum mating a purpose long delayed, the citizens of Savannah invoked his ser vices in laying the corner-stones of two monuments, one in memory of General Greene and the other in honor of Count Pulaski. On the 21st of March, 1825, with appropriate ceremonies and patriotic addresses, the Marquis laid, in Johnson square, the corner stone of a monument to be erected in perpetuation of the memory of General Greene, and another in Ghippewa square to designate the spot upon which a shaft should lift its enduring head in honor of Count Pulaski. The former bore this in scription: "This corner-stone of a monument to the memory of Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene was laid by General Lafayette, at the request of , the citizens of Savannah, on the 2ist of March, A. D. 1825." The latter was inscribed as follows: "On the 2ist day of March, A. D. 1825, was laid by General Lafayette, at the request of the citizens of Savannah, this Foundation Stone of a monument to the memory of Brigadier Count Pulaski." The effort to collect funds for the erection of mortuary shafts is often accompanied by perplexing delays and disappointments. To facilitate the matter in the present instance, the General Assembly of Geprgia, on the 3Oth of November, 1826, passed an act empowering certain commis-

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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

. sieners to raise by lottery the sum of thirty-five thousand dollars " for the purpose of aiding the erection of monuments to the memory of General Greene and of Count Pulaski in the city of Savannah,—the place already consecrated by the blood of the one and the ashes of the other."
About twelve years after the laying of the corner-stones by General

,' Lafayette, sufficient moneys having been realized to defray the cost of its construction, the monument now standing in Johnson square was builded in honor both of General Greene and of Count Pulaski, and con tinued to be known as the Greene and Pulaski monument until, in 1853, the corner-stone was laid in Monterey square of a monument in honor of Count Pulaski. From that time to the present day the simple structure in Johnson square has remained consecrate to the memory of General Greene alone. The corner-stone laid by General Lafayette in 1825, in Chippewa square, of the monument intended to commemorate on that spot the vir tues and the devotion of the gallant Pole, was removed and united to the , Greene corner-stone in Johnson square when the present shaft was there * constructed in joint memory of Greene and Pulaski. In 1853, however, this Pulaski corner-stone was detached from the Greene and Pulaski 'monument in Johnson square, and was placed, with imposing ceremonies, in association with another corner- stone beneath the beautiful mortuary structure which now, in Monterey square, by its presence embodies the gratitude of succeeding generations and enkindles a generous emulation of that disinterested devotion to, and love of, freedom and right which glowed in the breast and marked the career of Pulaski. It has been suggested that the search for the remains of General Greene, instituted by the committee appointed for that purpose, was not thorough. Judge Johnson, when writing in 1820, intimated that a more careful inquiry might have accomplished more satisfactory results, and hinted that the coffin might have been removed from the Grahame vault _to that of the Jones family. . There is another explanation of the disappearance of the remains of General Greene. It rests upon tradition and is not devoid of probability. ( The Grahames, who adhered to the cause of their king, and who de^ parted from Georgia when the British troops were withdrawn, were nec essarily incensed at the loss of their estates, and the confiscation of their

DEATH OF HON. SAMUEL ELBERT.
property by the successful Revolutionists. Their persona] misfortunes intensified the hatred which, as loyal subjects, they entertained towards those who had been instrumental fn compassing the overthrow of kingly rule in Georgia. The thought that a rebel major-general should lie entombed in their vault was revolting and harrowing to their feelings. It is believed that some member of that family caused a secret removal of the remains of General Greene from that vault, and their reinterment in an unmarked grave. After the lapse of so many years it is entirely probable that their present resting place will never be discovered. Two years afterwards l Savannah mourned the demise of one her most illustrious citizens After a lingering illness, and at the early age of forty-eight years, the Hon. Samuel Elbert, " with a fixed hope of future happiness," fell on sleep. At the time of his death he was major-general of the militia of Georgia, vice-president of the Society of Cincinnati, and sheriff of the county of Chatham. He was one of the two brigadier-gen erals whom Georgia gave to the continental army; and in 1785, by an al most unanimous vote, had been elected governor of this commonwealth. As a soldierv his record was brilliant. In the discharge of the duties ap pertaining to the gubernatorial office he manifested the ability, energy, diligence, dignity, good judgment, decision of character, and exalted manhood which distinguished him in other positions. Every funeral honor which Savannah could accord was extended to him. Minute-guns were fired from Fort Wayne. The colors of that fort and of the ships in the harbor were displayed at half- mast; the Rev. Mr. Lindsay delivered an appropriate discourse ; and an imposing procession—formed of the artillery, of the militia companies, and of the citizens — accompanied the remains which were deposited at the family burial place on the mount at Rae's Hall.2 The Indian grave-mound near the confluence of Pipe Maker's Greek and the Savannah River, which a later generation appropriated as a con- i venjent place for modern sepulture, still stands marking the spot where, a ' century agone, the dust of a general in the army of the Revolution, of an honored citizen, and of a governor of this commonwealth mingled with the ashes of the ancestors of the venerable Tomo-chi-chi. Although
1 November i, * See th< Gtdrgia Gareitt, No. 302, November 6, 1788.

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.
Rae's Hall has passed into the ownership of strangers—although his memorial stone has fallen,—although soulless brambles and envious forest trees have obliterated ail traces of the inhumation—the name of Sam* uel Elbert is enshrined in the annals of Georgia, and his memory will be cherished by all who are not unmindful of the lessons inculcated by a Kfe of virtue, of .valor, of probity, of benevolence, of patriotism, and of \ •_ fidelity to trust reposed. Only a few months before a venerable patriot had been gathered to his fathers. Of his demise we find this notice in the Georgia Gazette of Thursday March 13, 1788. " On Sunday last died at his plantation near Savannah, in the 8oth year of his age. the Hon. Jonathan Bryan, Esq., who had been for near 50 years an inhabitant of this State, during which time, both under the former and present governments, he filled several very important stations. The many virtues which this gentleman pos sessed, both of a social aad private nature/will not readily be forgotten. Having at an early day removed into this State, be acquired an accurate and thorough knowledge of the country. This enabled him, and his be nevolent heart always incline*! him to render that aid to new settlers that he may justly be styled one of tkt principal Founders and Fathers of Geor gia. Zealous in the cause of Christianity, he considered modes of wor ship but as secondary, whilst a great first principle with him in all true religion was universal charity. Being in the late war taken prisoner, he was made to undergo a series of persecution and hardship scarcely to be paralleled, and never to be justified ; but the strength of his constitu tion and,the unshaken firmness of his mind, even at the advanced period of 70 years, rose superior lo all difficulties and at "length brought him to die in the arms of peace." In 1788 small shipments of cotton began to be made from the port of Savannah. Indigo and rice enlisted the principal attention of the plant ers, and the cotton plant was then cultivated only in limited quantities. Its yield was chiefly utilized at home in the manufacture of coarse thread, hose, and cloth. The spinning wheel and the hand-loom were to be found in the dwellings of the poorer classes. Although the cultivation of the cotton plant Was increasing, the cotton-gin had not then imparted an impulse to this industry; and, in its absence, the process of separat ing the seeds from the lint was tedious to the last degree. Rice was the

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staple commodity of the inhabitants of Southern Georgia, and vast labor was expended by them in converting the swamps of this marish region into remunerative fields. As early as the 28th of November, 1789, a number of intelligent planters met in the the Coffee House in Savannah and formed a society for the " promotion and improvement of agriculture and other rural con cerns." This association was long maintained, and proved of decided interest and benefit to the community. Residing upon their rice plan tations in winter, the planters resorted to Savannah during the summer and autumnal months to escape the malarial influences of the cultivated fields. Despite its location in a miasmatic delta, the health of Savannah, when exempt from epidemics of yellow fever, was regarded as good. In promoting this, the sandy soil of the plain upon which the town is builded, and the presence of sea breezes, had much to do. Near the close of the eighteenth century the Pride of China was planted in the streets and squares; and for many years, by its grateful shade, contributed to the comfort of the inhabitants. Under the operation of the dry-culture sys tem,— supplemented by proper drainage,— the health of Savannah has materially improved.

CHAPTER XXIV.
General Washington's Visit to Savannah, and the Ceremonies Observed on that Occasion—Georgia Society of the Order of the Cincinnati—Severe Fire of 1796—Fourth of July Celebrations—Death of Major John Habersham—Concluding Observations. ."

N May> 1791, Savannah was complimented by a visit from General George Washington, president of the United States. On Thursday morning, the I2th, he reached Purrysburgh on the Savannah River. To that point, which marked the western limit of South Carolina, he had been escorted by General William Moultrie, and a delegation from Char-. les-Town. lliere he was met by a committee from the citizens of Savannah. Boats were at hand for the conveyance of the illustrious guest and suite, and the members of the committee to that city. Between ten
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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

and eleven o'clock they all embarked from Purrysburgh. The boat con veying the president was rou-ed by nine American captains—Putnam, Courter, Rice, Fisher, Huntingdon, Kershaw, Swain, Mclntire, and Morrison—all dressed in light blue silk jackets, black satin breeches, and white silk stockings. They wore round hats, encircled with black rib bons upon which were traced, in letters of gold, the words LONG LIVE THE PRESIDENT. When within ten miles of the city, the procession was met by a number of gentlemen in boats, accompanied by a band of music. As the president passed on, and these boats fell into line, the band played He conies, the Hero comes, many voices uniting in the musical welcome. " On his approach to the city, the concourse on the bluff, and the crowds which had pressed into the vessels, evinced the general joy which had been inspired by the visit of this most beloved of men, and the ardent desire of all ranks and conditions of people to be gratified by his pres ence. Upon arriving at the upper part of the harbor he was saluted from the wharves, and by the shipping, and particularly by the ship Thomas Wilson, Captain White, which was beautifully decorated with the colors of various nations. At the foot of the stairs where the presi dent landed, he was received by Colonel Gunn'and General Jackson, who introduced him to the mayor 1 and aldermen of the city. The ar tillery fiompany 2 saluted him with twenty-six discharges from their field pieces, and he was then conducted to a house prepared by the corpora tion for his accommodation, in St James 1 Square, in the following order of procession : " Light Infantry Company. " Field Officers and other Officers of the Militia. " Marshal of the City. "Treasurer, Cleric, and Recorder. " Aldefrmen, the Mayor. " President and Suite. " Committee of Citizens. " Members of the Cincinnati. " Citizens, two and two. " Artillery Company." The president and suite dined with the corporation at six o'clock the same day, and were conducted to Brown's Coffee House by the mayor of
1 Mr. Gibbons. 'The Chatham Artillery.

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the city and the president of the Cincinnati. l Many distinguished gen tlemen, by invitation, partook of the entertainment prepared. Sundry patriotic toasts were drank, each succeeded by discharges from the fieldpieces of the artillery. In the evening the city was beautifully illumin ated. : The next day the president dined with the Georgia Society of the Order of Cincinnati at Brown's Coffee House. All toasts were responded to by salvos from the artillery. In the evening a ball was given in honor of the president at the long room in the filature. At half past eight he honored the company by his presence; and, by one of the managers, was introduced to ninety-six elegantly dressed ladies, "some of whom displayed infinite taste in the emblems and devices on their sashes and headdresses out of respect to the happy occasion." " The room, which had been lately handsomly fitted up and was well lighted," so says a writer in the Georgia Gazette, "afforded the presi dent an excellent opportunity of viewing the Fair Sex of our City and vi cinity, and the Ladies the gratification of paying their respects to our Federal Chief. After a few Minuets were moved, and one Country Dance led down, the President and his Suit retired about 11 o'clock. At 12 o'clock the supper-room was opened, and the ladies partook of a re past, after which dances continued until 3 o'clock. The company re tired with the happy satisfaction of having generally contributed towards the hilarity and gaiety of the evening." Attended by General Mclntosh and several gentlemen, General Wash ington, on Saturday morning, inspected the lines constructed in 1779 by the British for the defense of Savannah, and the approaches and batteries made by the allied army. Having himself participated in the siege and in the assault of the 9th of October, General Mclntosh was able to con vey to the president full information touching the whole affair. The earth-mounds covering the slain, the lines of circumvallation, the ap proaches, the sand-batteries and gun-chambers had not then yielded to the obliterating influences of time and an encroaching population. The scars of the siege were still upon the bosom of the plain, and some of the houses within the limits of the city bore the marks of the deadly mis1 General Anthony Waync.

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siles which were then hurled. About him stood those who had passed through that baptism of fire. The president exhibited a deep interest in all he then saw and heard. " In the afternoon the President honored the Citizens with his com pany at a dinner prepared for him under a beautiful arbor supported by three rows of pillars entirely covered with laurel and bay leaves so as to exhibit uniform green columns. The pillars were higher than the arbor, and ornamented above it by festoons, and connected below by arches covered in the same manner. The place on which it stood was judi ciously chosen, presenting at once a view of the city and of the shipping in the harbor, with an extensive prospect of the river and rice lands both above and below the town. But the principal advantage which resulted from its situation and structure was the opportunity which it afforded to a great body of people to have a distinct and uninterrupted view of that object to which all eyes and hearts appeared to be attracted. " A company of nearly 2OO citizens and strangers dined under it, and the satisfaction which each one enjoyed in paying this personal tribute to the merit of a man who is, if possible, more beloved for his goodness than admired for his greatness, produced a degree of convivial and har monious mirth rarely experienced. Every one beheld with delight, in the person of our President, the able General, the virtuous Patriot, the profound Politician—in a word, one of the most shining ornaments that ever dignified human nature. " The Artillery Company dined under another arbor, erected at a small distance, and received merited applause for the great dexterity which they displayed in firing at each toast. Their fires were returned by Fort Wayne, and the ship Thomas Wilson which was moored oppo site the arbor. Her decorations through the day, and illuminations at night, had a fine effect. " The following toasts were given: "The United States of America. " Prosperity to the Citizens of Savannah and its vicinity. [By the President] " The Fair of America. " The Vice-president of the United States. " The Memorable Era of Independence.

VISIT OF GENERAL WASHINGTON.
" The Count d'Estaing.
" The Memory of General Greene. " The Arts arid Sciences. "The Memory of those Brave Men who fell before the Lines of Sa vannah on the Qth of October, 1779. " The Friends to Free and Equal Government throughout the Globe. " All foreign Powers in Friendship with the United States. " May Religion and Philosophy always triumph over Superstition and Prejudice in America. " The present dexterous Corps of Artillery. [The President's toast] " [After the President retired.} The President of the United States. " The construction of the arbor and the mariner in which the enter tainment was provided and conducted did great honor to the gentlemen to whose direction the whole was committed. " In the evening there was a handsome exhibition of fireworks, and the amusements of this day of joy and festivity were concluded by a concert. " On Sunday morning the President attended Divine Service in Christ Church, and soon after set out on his way to Augusta. On taking his leave of the mayor and committee of the citizens he politely expressed his sense of the attention shown him by the Corporation and every de nomination of people during his stay in Savannah. He was attended out of the city by a number of gentlemen, and escorted by a detachment of Augusta dragoons commanded by Major Ambrose Gordon. At the Spring Hill the President was received by General Jackson, where the Artillery and Light Infantry Companies were drawn up, and was there saluted by 39 discharges from the field pieces, and 13 vollies of platoons. After which he proceeded to Mulberry Grove, the seat of the late Maj. Gen. Greene, where he dined, and then resumed his tour." Shortly after his return to the seat of government President Wash ington, in acknowledgment of the special honors paid by, and in token of his appreciation ot the drill and proficiency of the company, compli mented the Chatham Artillery with two bronze field-pieces which had been captured at Yorktown. These guns still remain in the possession of that corps, and are held by its members in the highest esteem and ven eration.

The committee which met General Washington at Purrysburgh em-

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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

braced within its membership General Lachlan Mclntosh, and the Hons. Noble Wymberley Jones, Joseph Habersham, John Houstoun, and Joseph Clay. By them was the president saluted with an address of welcome. During his sojourn in Savannah addresses were presented on behalf of the city and its authorities by Thomas Gibbons, mayor, on behalf of the Ma sonic fraternity by George Houst6un, grand master of the State, and on be half of the Georgia Society of the Order of the Cincinnati by its president, General Anthony Wayne. 1 To all the president responded most appositely. At the time of this visit the southern boundary of Savannah was South Broad street. Lincoln street bounded it on the east, and Jefferson street on the west.- Outside these limits the houses were comparatively few. On the 26th of November, 1796, the city was visited by a destructive conflagration which seriously impaired its integrity and entailed great loss. Originating in a baker's shop, it spread in every direction, render ing homeless many families and reducing not a few of the.inhabitants to absolute penury. So severe was the catastrophe that the General As sembly intervened for the relief of the sufferers, and this timely aid was supplemented by private benefactions of a liberal character. For many years after the independence of the United States had been acknowledged, the leading citizens of Savannah were accustomed to as semble annually on the 4th of July, listen to a patriotic address, dine to gether, and drink toasts. Of the nature of the sentiments proposed and drank on such occasions, let the following, which appears in the Georgia Gazette of July 5, 1787, be accepted as illustrative. 1. "The Day and its everlasting remembrance. 2. "Liberty without licentiousness, and Republicanism without alloy. 3. "Energy to Government and a Federal Head. 4. " May the Eagle of America never be the sport of her own arrows. 5. "The illustrious President of the National Convention. 6. "The Governor and State of Georgia. 7 " Louis the XVIth.
1 The officers of the Georgia Society of the Order of the Cincinnati were, at that time, Major-General Anthony Wayne, president; Major William Pierce, vice-president; Major John Habersham. secretary; Colonel Richard Wylly. treasurer ; John Peter Ward, esq., assistant secretary, and Edward Lloyd, esq., assistant treasurer. It was the custom of that society to hold its annual meeting' in the city of Savannah on the 4th of July in each year. The members dined together and patriotic toasts were offered.

DEATH OF MAJOR JOHN HABERSHAM.

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8. "May the State of Georgia ever respect the Union as the only method to preserve herself. 9. " May our sister State, Rhode Island, be convinced of her error without the necessity of coercion. 10. "The Merrory of the departed Heroes of the Revolution, n. "A truce with Land Speculation and Indian Wars. 12. " Universal Freedom. 13. "The American Mothers." This custom was perpetuated to a period within the memory of the living; and not a few there are who still recollect, with pleasure the Fourth of July orations, the military contests, and the patriotic dinners which rendered memorable the annual observance of the anniversary of the day upon which the Declaration of the Independence of the United Colonies was proclaimed. While General Washington was lying a corpse at Mount Vernon, and the nation was mourning the departure of him who, in the language of the gallant Light Horse Harry Lee, was " first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen," Savannah was called upon to encoun ter a special sorrow in the death of the Hon. Major John Habersham. He was the third son of the Hon. James Habersham—at one time gov- j ernor of Georgia—a gentleman wnose pure character, noble! impulses, useful acts, commercial and agricultural enterprise, charitable aims, polit ical services, and virtuous life were ever conspicuous and will always chal lenge admiration. His elder brother, the Hon. Joseph Habersham, was a brave officer during the War of the Revolution, and was postmastergeneral during President Washington's administration. Inheriting the virtues of his father, Major John Habersham was, in all respects, an esti mable man, fearless, honest, patriotic, public-spirited, and, in his domestic, relations, tender and true. In the execution of the responsible trusts committed to him he was upright and efficient. As an officer of the Con tinental Army he was prompt, courageous, and self-sacrificing. To the cause of the Revolutionists,-even in its infancy, was his fullest allegiance accorded, and he never swerved from its support until the independence of the United Colonies was fully established. The old cemetery on South Broad street, wherein sleep so many who were famous and loved in the early days of the colony and commonwealth, guards the dust of

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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

this distinguished Georgian; and a beautiful county in the upper portion of the State perpetuates a family name which, for a century and a half, has been here saluted with gratitude and honor. With the close of the eighteenth century our connection with the ^ preparation of this memorial volume ends. During the sixty-seven years which have intervened since that memorable evening when Oglethorpe, having posted his sentinels, sought the friendly shelter of the pines upon Yamacraw Bluff, scarcely an incident of moment appertain ing to Georgia as a colony, in revolution, or as a State, can be men~^€foned with which the history of Savannah is not either directly or re motely associated. Here was the source from which the streams of pop ulation flowed in all directions. Here was located the depot of supplies. Hither did all look for support, for protection, for the enforcement of law, and for the dissemination of all things needful. In this little metropoli tan town and provincial capita! dwelt the trustees' agents, the royal gov ernors, and the early presidents of the youthful commonwealth. Here were regularly convened the Upper and Lower Houses of Assembly, the Colonial Legislatures, the Revolutionary Conventions, and the delibera tive bodies which gave to Georgia her primal constitutions and laws un der a republican form of government Here were the first treaties of amity and commerce solemnized with the Indians, and here were import ant agreements consummated for the extinguishment of the title of the Aborigines to the granted lands. Here were measures inaugurated con templating and compassing a separation of Georgia from the mother country and the erection of the province into the dignity of an independ ent State. Here occurred the first passage at arms with the king's forces, and before the fortification's which environed the town was bloodiest bat• tie delivered. Famous in arms, in politics, in religion, in commerce, and in the lib / eral professions are many who here dwelt, and devoted their best ener gies to the development and salvation of Georgia. First on the roll of i honor we saiute the founder of the colony—renowned alike in the field, I in the council chamber, and in legislative halls,—the embodiment of loy alty and valor,—the model of manly grace and courtesy,—giving tone and character to his people and age. And near him stand the aged Col-

RETROSPECTIVE.

329

onel William Stephens,—faithful to king and trust,—the eloquent Whitefield—the Brothers Wesley—the elder Habersham—the venerable Tomochi-chi,—the saintly Bolzius,—the self-sacrificing Zouberbuhler, and the gifted but unstable Zubly. Then pass in succession the royal governors, —the dictatorial Reynolds,—the gentle and learned Ellis, and the capa ble Wright—}oyal to Crown and province, attended by the members of their respective councils, generally the best representatives of the citizen ship of Savannah. The scene shifts, and amid the storms of the Revo lutionary period we behold the manly forms, hear the courageous voices, and admire the heroism of Nobl£ Wimberley Jones, Archibald Bulloch, John Houstoun, Edward Telfair, the Brothers Habersham, Samuel Elbert, Lachlan Mclntosh, Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton, William Ewen, John Wereat, Jonathan Bryan, William Gibbons, Joseph Clay, Richard Howley, Nathan Brownson, John Adam Treutlen, John Glen, John Milledge, James Jackson, James Screven, John Martin and their companions,—patriots all,—who have bequeathed memories of de votion, of valor, and of self-sacrifice of which any people might be proud. In that struggle there were friends, such as Howe, Pinckney, Lincoln, D'Estaing, Dillon, Noailles, Jasper, Pulaski, Wayne, White, Huger, and others scarcely less distinguished, who contributed freely of their blood and services to the heroic memories of place and period. The war ended, there ensued in the city of Oglethorpe an era of ex panding prosperity, of increasing civilization, of refinement, of hospital ity, of augmenting wealth, of religious and educational progress, of indi>vidual manhood and municipal integrity which, as the curtain descended upon the eighteenth century, gave ample promise of peace, stability, honor, confidence, reputation, and good fortune in the years to come.
42

r
HISTORY ofr SAVANNAH.
CHAPTER XXV.
MUNICIPAL HISTORY. Visit of Aaron Burr—Severe Storm in 1804—First City Seal—War of 1812—Plans for Defending- the City—Rejoicing' over Naval Victories—Reception to President Monroe—Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1820—Tour of General Lafayette—His Reception in Savannah—Building of Fort Pu!aski —Death of ex-President Jackson—Mexican War —Lleath of Colonel Mclntosh --Visit of ex-President Polk—Death of President Taylor —Reception to ex-Presiderit Fillmore—Yellow Fever Epidemic—Destructive Gale in September, 1854.

HE history of Savannah from the time its site was selected as the home of the English colonists in 1733 to the close of the preced ing century with all its wealth of stirring events, its trials, triumphs, and progress has been unfolded in the preceding chapters. It possesses peculiar interest to the student of history as the colonial starting point of a State that has given dignity and fame to American civiliza tion, and new elements of truth and power to augment the wealth of the world's history. Through many changes has been recorded the march of the community from the first rude and crude settlement to the hamlet, the village, the town, the city. In the simple and homely phases of life which have been depicted there is a pathos and a glamour of tenderness, but under all circumstances illumined by the loftiest patriotism and the most exalted manhood which makes the earliest past of Savannah a proud heritage worthy to be studied for inspiration even by a generation to whom electricity is the supreme agency. The first eleven years of Savannah's history as an incorporated city has been traced in preceding pages. It was a period of quiet city life, made memorable by the visit of the first president of the United States and the destructive fire of November, 1796. At the beginning of the present century the city contained probably 6,500 inhabitants, as the cen sus taken two years previous gave the city a population of 6,226, of which only 237 were negroes. The financial losses the city had experi enced in 1796 by the fire had well nigh been recovered when the present

T

VISIT OF AARON BURR.
century began, and from this time forward although no great advance was made either in wealth or population, the people for several years en joyed a period of reasonable prosperity ; the city had emerged flora the effects of the Revolutionary struggle and was beginning to assume com mercial importance. At a meeting of the city council held on July 13, 1801, the yearly salaries of the city officials were fixed as follows: Recorder, usual fees; treasurer, $400 and fees; clerk of council, $350 and usual fjees; clerk of the mayor's court, usual fees; marshal, $350 and usual fees; sheriff, clerk of market, and surveyor, usual'fees; messenger, $150 and usual fees. Vice-President Aaron Burr visited the city on the 2Oth of May, 1802, coming from Augusta. He was received on his way to the city by mili tary and civil officials and companies of volunteer soldiers. Charles Har ris, Edward Harden, and Richard Dennis welcomed him on behalf of the corporation, and B. Bullock, James Houstoun, and George W. Troup on behalf of the citizens of Savannah. On the Monday following his arrival a festival was given in his honor, which, said the Columbian Museum and Advertiser, was never equaled on any former occasion for brilliancy of en tertainment, the number and respectability of the company, and the har mony which prevailed. Two medals were presented to the corporation by the vice-president, one descriptive of the arms of the United States on one side, and on the other the bust of President Jefferson. The other medal commemorated the capture of General Burgoyne by General Gates on one side, and on the other the bust of the capturing general. The vice-president remained three or four days, and during his stay his head quarters were on South Broad street, between Whitaker and Barnard streets, the home of his neice Mrs. Montmollin. It has been said the purpose of his visit was of a private nature and related to the settlement of an unfortunate family quarrel. From nine o'clock in the morning until ten at night on the 8th of September, 1804, Savannah was visited by a storm which raged with destructive fury, causing widespread ruin and devastation. The inhabi tants dared not venture out of their dwellings, but in many cases they were forced to flee to avoid being crushed in the ruins of their own houses. Hutchinson plantation and the rice plantations around the city •

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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

were inundated, causing over one hundred negroes to be drowned. Trees in every part of the city were blown down, and also several houses. The wharves were all torn up and many of the storehouses erected at the foot of the bluff were either totally destroyed or so much damaged as to render valueless everything within them. Eighteen vessels in the har bor were thrown upon the wharves and several were totally destroyed. Several persons were injured by the falling houses or chimneys and three died of the injuries received. The exchange, the filature, jail and court house on the bluff, with twenty-six business houses under the bluff were injured and their stock of goods swept away. The steeple of the Pres byterian Church, on the southwest corner of Whitaker and President streets, fell in a southwesterly direction, crushing in a house and cutting off a portion of a bed on which lay a sick man, but fortunately he was not injured. Strange to say the bell in the steeple Was found unbroken and afterwards hung in the steeple ~of the Independent Presbyterian Church, where it remained until 1824, when a larger bell was presented to the cdngregationT The first seal used by the city of Savannah was presented by Alder man Samuel Stirke, and it is unfortunate that no trace or imprint of it can be found. It was probably used for several years, as we find ao record of a new one being provided until January 14, 1805, when a res olution was adopted by "the councij instructing the clerk to " procure a screw-press for the city Seal the expense of which will be defrayed by the council." Little use seems to have been made of the seal, however, as no impress of it has been found. Little of, historic note occurred in Savannah in the opening years of ; the present century. The city made little progress in population or wealth, and the quiet town life of the people was barren of matters of great importance, with the exception of the movement to advance the educational interest of the city, and this feature of Savannah's history is fully treated in another portion of this volume. The period of the War of 1812 was one of turmoil and excitement f't in the history of Savannah. The city's proximity to the sea made it liable to assault at any hour, and although it was not attacked, the people were kept constantly on the alert. The events which culminated in hos tilities between the United States and England were clearly understood

WAR OF 1812.

333

and closely watched, and when human agency seemed unavailing to avert the coming conflict a notice appeared in the Savannah Republican of January 28, 1812, asking the people on Thursday next to meet in the Roman Catholic Church "to beseech the Father of Mercies to avert from this nation the calamities which threaten it." From this time forward meetings were often held by the citizens to discuss the means for pro tecting the city. The military companies of the city were in fine condi tion, and composed of the best young men^of Savannah, who were some what anxious to engage in practical warfare. Interest in the approach ing struggle was intensified by the arrival in the city of Major-General Thomas Pinckney of the Southern Division of the army. He arrived on Monday June 22, 1812, accompanied by Colonel Morris, his aid-de-camp. He was greeted by the Chatham Artillery and the Rangers who repaired to his lodgings and fired a salute of welcome. On the day following his arrival, the general, in company with several other gentlemen, took a view of the city boundaries for the purpose of advising the best faeans for de fending the city. ; According to his suggestions the committee of super intendence of fortifications, appointed by the city council, composed of Aldermen Proctor, Charlton, and Duke, determined upon a plan of forti fication for Fort Wayne and called the citizens to send laborers to prose cute the work. In the summer of 1812 war was declared, and on the twenty-fifth of June the news was brought to Savannah. General Pinckney immedi ately thereafter left the city and work was soon after begun upon plans he suggested for the fortification of Savannah, the committee of superin tendence, composed of Aldermen J. B. "Reed, G. V. Proctor, and T. U. P. Charlton, causing the following advertisement to appear in the city paper: " Whereas, Major General Thomas Pinckney has determined to cause to be built immediately on the Scite of Fort Wayne such works as are deemed advisable, and will adopt such other measures recommendatory of its enlargement, as in his judgment may seem proper. And whereas the Major-General has recommended to the City Council, to direct their attention to the erection of such works on the south common agreeably to a plan pointed out and explained as of great importance to the pro tection of the City. " Resolved that the Committee of Council appointed for the purpose

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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

of superintending the works intended to be erected in this city by the corporation and the citizens of Savannah, Thereby adopt the General's recommendation and now call upon the citizens to contribute their aid and furnish the laborers subscribed by them, to commence the works to be erected on the south common, which will be under the direction of Captain McRae as engineer." In carrying out the plan suggested by General Pinckney a line of de fenses was thrown up extending from the marsh on the east, at the foot of Broughton street, to the west side of Lafayette square, thence diverg ing to Liberty street lane, thence crossing Bull street to Spring Hill, thence along the high ground east of Ogeechee Canal and terminating at the foot of Fahm street. The line was very irregular and unusually full of salients and re-entering angles. The Savannah volunteer companies, Chatham Artillery, Savannah Volunteer Guards, Republican Blues, and Georgia Hussars, and other companies which organized for the war were constantly on duty. The Savannah Guards, Republican Blues and other. Savannah volunteer com panies comprising the first regiment of Georgia militia, under the com mand of Lieutenant-Colonel James Johnson, were mustered into the ser vice of the United States for local defense. The enemy not approaching Savannah, however, this service continued only one month. Early in the war half of the Savannah Guards and Republican Blues were sent on an expedition against St. Augustine, Fla., but before arrangements for the assault were'made Florida was purchased by the United States. Every victory of the American arms in Northern waters was hailed with joy in Savannah. The victories of Captain Isaac Hull in the cap ture of the British frigate Guerriere, of Captain John James Jones in the capture of the sloop-of-wafr Frolic, and of Commodore Decatur in the capture of the British frigate Macedonian, in the latter part of the year 1812, caused the city council to designate the ist of January, 1813, as a day to be set apart for the citizens of Savannah to give "expression of their gratitude to the Supreme Being for the aforesaid signal victories and the high sense they entertain of the gallant conduct of the said naval commanders, their officers and crews, and also for the general joy which these naval victories have produced upon our citizens."

A meeting of the citizens of Savannah was held in the Exchange on

WA& OF 1812.

335

June 2, 1813, for the purpose of raising funds to be appropriated to the defense of the city. Hon. William Stephens was made chairman of the meeting, and James M. Wayne, secretary. Four thousand dollars was the amount deemed necessary to effectually defend the city from the at tack of the enemy. John Bolton, James Johnston, John Gumming, James Bilbo, Frederick Herb and John Eppinger, jr., were appointed a com mittee to co-operate with a committee of the city council to raise this sum. A "committee of vigilance" was appointed by the council on July 20, 1813, to consist of an alderman and two or more respectable citizens from the different wards of the city, to carry into effect the act of the As sembly against idle or disorderly persons having no visible estate or lawi ful employment in the city or who may hereafter come here." The British brig of war, Epervior, carrying eighteen guns was brought into the Savannah River by the United States sloop-of-war, Pea cock, Lewis Warrington, commander, in May, 1814. When captured the Eperuior\&A on board $110,000,' which was confiscated and distributed according to law. In commemoration of the event the council passed the following resolution: • • "Whereas, another victory has added to the glory, the lustre, and re nown of the American Navy, the Mayor and Aldermen of the city of Sa• vanriah are anxious on this, as they have been on other occasions of sim ilar triumphs to pay the tribute of respect to unparalleled skill and valor j of the heroes of the ocean. Be it therefore unanimously resolved, that the mayor and aldermen of the city of Savannah do feel sincere gratitude \ and respect for the distinguished conduct and noble services of Captain i Warrington, the gallant officers and crew in the late victory over the British sloop of war Epervior" The victory of Captain Porter, commander of the Essex, over the ; British frigate Pk&be and the sloop-of-war Ckerub, was another occasion in commemoration of which, on the 22d of July, 1814,.the city cduncil gave expression to the following preamble and resolutions: "Whereas, another great and brilliant exploit has bestowed on the skill, courage, Self Devotion and Patriotism of the hero Porter, his officers • and crew, a splendour and glory never before acquired under similar cir| cumstaaces and given a reputation to the American Navy which neither

336

.

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

vaunts nor misrepresentations of the enemy can prevent carrying fear and terror to his thousand ships, and whereas this glorious achievement united to the noble efforts of the illustrious Porter, his officers and crew, to promote the fame and the jnterest of their Country in their long, per ilous and unexampled cruise demand not only heartfelt gratitude of every citizen of the Republic, but particularly of every public body and de partment of the Country. Be it therefore unanimously resolved by the mayor and aldermen of the city of Savannah that for and in behalf of themselves, and their Fellow Citizens of Savannah, they beg leave most respectfully to tender to Captain David Porter, late of the Essex Frigate, his officers and crew this high opinion of his skill, Perseverance and Pa triotism evinced throughout the long and perilous cruise of the Essex, as well as the sincere profound and unaffected gratitude with which* they have been inspired by the great glorious and unexampled skill and her oism displayed by Captain Porter, the brave officers and gallant Seamen in the unequal contest of the Essex with the British Frigate Phcebe and the Sloop of War Cherub." The aldermen elected on September 14, 1814, were John B. Norris, Isaac Fell, T. U. P. Charlton, J. B. Read, R. Mackay, George Jones, J. Hersman, H. Mclntosh, E. Harden, %lexander S. Roe, M. McAllister, Th. Bourke, William B. Bullock. A committee of vigilance was selected composed of Aldermen jj^oe, Charlton, and Morris who were charged to "guard against the introduction of suspicious characters into the city, and to have weekly returns from all taverns, lodging and boarding-house keepers of the numbers of names and business of such persons, and to act towards them as the law and ordinances direct, and they are required to aid in ascertaining the earliest information of the approach of the en emy by land or water and are empowered to appoint a secretary to re cord proceedings. Resolved, that the sum of five hundred dollars be and is hereby appropriated and put at the disposal of the committee for the public good." This committee, however, was discharged in December following, as the arrival of Brigadier-General Floyd with a large military force near the city persuaded the council the city was amply protected against the attack of the enemy. This feeling of security soon after gave place to fresh alarm, and in January, 1815, the council requested Com modore Hugh G. Campbell, then in command of the flotilla stationed off

OF PEACE.

337

Savannah to sink vessels at any poiqt lie deemed expedient to obstruct the river. The victory of General Jackson at New Orleans in February following, made such action unnecessary, and the president's proclama tion of peace on February 28th dispelled all fears,' and was the cause of rejoicing among the people. . Saturday the fourth of March, 1815, was designated by the council as "a day for innocent amusement and recreation, in consequence of the ratification of the Treaty 6f Peace, with Great Britain, founded on a Basis of perfect reciprocity and honorable to this Nation resolved that the board having heretofore devoted all the means and energies in the prosecution of just war, now hails the return of Peace and Amity and Commerce which it is hoped will follow this gratifying event, and declare itself equally de voted to the Maintenance of Peace and Friendship with the subjects of Great Britain. Always having had in view the sacred and patriotic duty of considering in the scope of its authority, all persons * enemies in war, in peace friends.'" The return of peace was most grateful to the people of Savannah who /or three years bad been in a state of anxiety and suspense which had prostrated all avenues of prosperity. Mementoes of the War of 1812 are still to be found in Savannah, in the naming of its squares and streets, several bearing the names of naval heroes or victorious battles, as Chip* and. Orleans squares, Hull, McDonough and Perry streets. James Monroe, the fifth president of the United States, visited Savanon May 9, 1&19, and was received with that hospitality for which the ' city has always been noted. He remained while in the city at the home of William Scarborough on West Broad streetN A public ball was given in hi* honor in a building erected for the occasion in Johnson square. He remained for five days, and on the last day of his visit he enjoyed a novel excursion to Tybee on the steamboat City of Savannah, the first steamship ever built in the United States. On the same day a public dipner j^as giyen in his honor in a booth built for the occasion. The features of this important event were thus described in a S vannah jour: " T-ke bppth was ornamented with wreaths and branches of laurels. the fread 0f *jbe table was an arch composed of laurels beautifully decorated with roses, so disposed as to form the name .of Jaxn.es Monroe. The company having dined, the following toasts were .announced from

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HISTORY OF SAVANNAS.

the chair accompanied with appropriate music from the stand. During the giving of toasts, the Dallas fired salutes, her commander having obligingly tendered his services for the occasion. On the president re tiring from the table a grand national salute was opened which made the welkin, ring. The regular toasts were: " I. Our country. In her infancy she is mighty in the first class of nations, what will be the meridian of her life? " 2. The Federal Union. Ma/ the head be accursed that shall in sidiously plot its dissolution, the arm withered that shall aim a blow at its existence. 5 " 3. The Constitution of the United States, framed by the wisdom of sages, may our statesmen and our posterity regard it as the national ark of political safety never to be abandoned. "4. The military, naval, legislative and diplomatic worthies of the Revolution. It is our duty and delight to honor them and to tell their deeds with filial piety. " >>. General George Washington, revered be his memory! Let our statesmen and our warriors obey his precepts, our youth emulate his vir tues and services, and our country is safe. "6. The cession of the Floridas—Honorable to the administration and useful to the United States, it completes the form of the Republic. " 7. Major-General Andrew Jackson—The hero of New Orleans, the brave defender of his country and vindicator of its injured honor. " 8. Adams, Jefferson, and Madison — They have withdrawn from public duty, and illustrious by their virtues, and services, carry with them a nation's gratitude. "9. The navy. Imperishable fame accompanies the Star Spangled Banner. In the last war we coped with Britain on the ocean ; now we hear of no search, na impressment " 10. The army. Our pillar of protection on the land; their valor and patriotism won the victories of York and of Erie, of Chippewa, and of Niagara. "**~ii. The militia — Yet the bulwark of our country. Invincibles fell before them in the battle of Baltimore, and of Plattsburg, of the Thames, and of New Orleans. " 12 Concord between the North and the South, the East and the

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West May unanimity till the end of time, falsify the timid fears of those who predict dissolution. " 13.'The American fair—May they^always be mothers to a race of patriots.
" The following informal toasts were proposed :

"By president of the United States.—The people of the United States. They constitute but one family^and may the bond which unites them together as brethren and freemen be eternal.
"By John C. Calhoun, secretary of war — The freedom of the press, and the responsibility of public agents. The sure foundation of the" noble fabric of American liberty. "By Major-General Gaines—The memory of Jackson, Tattnall, and Telfair. The choice, the pride, and ornament of Georgia".

"By Mr. Middleton—The memory of General Greene, who con quered for liberty. .
" By Major-General Floyd — Our Country — May its prosperity be as lasting, as its government is free. " After the president and secretary of war had retired tne following toasts were proposed: " By the mayor — The President of the United States. "By William Bullock, esq., vice-president-1— Mr. Calhoun, secretary at war. The distinguished statesman, the virtuous citizen. " By General John Mclntosh. — Peace with all the world as long as they respect our rights — disgrace and defeat to the power who would invade them. .,. i

" By Colonel James E. Houstoun—The memory of General Lachlan Mclntosh. * • -| " By General Mitchell—The late war—a practical illustration of the energy of our republic. " After the mayor retired, James M. Wayne, mayor of the city. By Colonel Marshall—The governor of the State of Georgia —\- a virtuous man and zealous chief magistrate. " After the vice-president retired, William B. Bullock — Our re spected citizen. . "By Colonel Harden—The assistant vice-presidents of the day — Charles Harris, Mathew McAllister and John Eppinger, esqs.

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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

" By John H. Ash—Colonel James Marshall, a skillful officer, and the friend of his country. " By Major Gray—We are a free and happy people, and while enjoying every blessing let us not forget the great Author from whom all good emanates. " By Josiah Davenport—The union of our country. May the last trump alone dissolve it." In 1820 Savannah experienced the horrors of a conflagration far sur passing in violence and destruction the fire that occurred in 1796. It commenced on the morning of January 11, and before the flames Were extinguished four hundred and sixty-three houses, exclusive of outbuild ings, were destroyed. With the exception of the Planters' Bank, the Episcopal Church and three or four other brick buildings, every house between Broughton and Bay streets was destroyed, the loss being esti mated at four million dollars. At this time Savannah did not contain more than 7,500 persons, and the distress caused by the fire was felt by every one. The Georgian of January 17, 1820, Was largely devoted to a description of the scenes and incidents of the great conflagration, and the following extract from this journal gives a vivid picture of the fearful desolation wrought by the fire: " The city of Savannah, after a lapse of twenty-four years has again experienced the horrors of a conflagration, far surpassing in violence and destruction the melancholy fire in 1796. The buildings then were of little value compared to those recently lost. The genius of desolation could not have chosen a spot within the limits of our city, where so widespread a scene of misery, ruin and despair might be laid, as that which was recently the center of health and indus try, now a heap of worthless ruins. On Tuesday morning, between the hours of one and two o'clock, an alarm of fire was given from the livery stable of Mr. Boon, on the trust lot of Isaac Fell, esq., situated in Bap tist Church square, in the immediate vicinity of Market square, around which the buildings were almost exclusive of wood. They were in a most combustible state, from a long continuance of dry Weather. When the conflagration reached Market square, a heavy explosion of gun-pow der added greatly to the general destruction. For the information of readers at a distance the principal streets of the dty run parallel with the river nearly east and west, beginning at Bay street, one side of which

GREAT FIRE OF 1820.
only is built up at the distance generally of about three or four hundred feet from the top of the bluff, beneath which runs the river. These Streets are intersected by others at right angles and at regular intervals, spacious squares are left open into which the property rescued from the flames was hastily thrown. • Broughton street, the most considerable in the city, runs parallel with Bay street, above described and five smaller streets and lanes thickly built are comprehended between those two streets. Ninety-four lots were left naked, containing three hundred and twenty-one wooden buildings, many, often double tenements, thirty-five brick, four hundred ard sixty-three buildings, exclusive of outbuildings. The estimated loss is upwards of four millions. The fire was extinguished between twelve and one o'clock the next day, and if possible the scene became more painfully distressing. Wherever an open space promised Security from the flames, property of every description had been depos ited in vast heaps. Some were gazing in silent despair on the scene of destruction, others were busily and sorrowfully employed in collecting what little was spared to them. Alas, never did the sun set on a gloom ier day for Savannah, or on so many aching hearts. Those whose avo cations called them forth that night, will long remember its sad and sol emn stillness, interrupted only by the sullen sound of falling ruins. Dur ing the excitement while the heart of the city was wrapped in flames, each one Was too busy for reflection, but when the danger was past and the unfortunate sufferers had leisure to contemplate the extent of their losses, a generous mind may conceive, but it is impossible to describe their feelings of despair." Generous was the aid that flowed from Northern and Southern cities to the distressed people of Savannah after the fire of 1820, while the gen erosity of those in the afflicted city who were in position to render as sistance was characteristic of a naturally kind hearted and generous peo ple. Before, however, the people had recovered from the effects of this great disaster they were confronted by a death dealing pestilence which Was the most severe blow that had yet befallen the city by the'sea. On the fifth of September a vessel arrived from the West Indies having yel low fever on board. A few days after several cases were reported in the city. The dread disease spread rapidly, and on the 6th of November fol lowing two hundred and thirty-nine persons had been stricken down.

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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

When the fever began its relentless sway the population of the city was 7,523, which was quickly reduced by flight, there being only 1,494 Pcr~ sons in the city at the end of October. Among those who remained the loss of life was fearful, but was mostly confined to the foreign population which had come the previous winter and had not become thoroughly acclimated. During the early years of Savannah as an incorporated city, the mayor served without salary, but as the duties of the office increased, re muneration for his services seemed to impress the "city fathers" as just and proper, and in 1821 a committee was appointed to prepare a bill en titled '-* An ordinance for allowing the mayor a salary annually." The recovery from the effects of the fire of 1820 and the ravages of yellow fever was slow. The financial conditions of the city had become much depressed and it took several years of hard persistent work to regain what in a few hours had been swept away by the fire, fire, and the losses caused by the suspension of all business during the visitations of the yellow fever epidemic. The holiday spirit of the peo ple had become somewha^ regained in 1825, and the occasion of General La Fayette's visit during this year was made a season of the most impos ing civil and military displays ever witnessed in Savannah. The tour of General LaFayette in the United States during 1824 and 1825 was made a national event. Everywhere the "Nation's Guest" was received with an enthusiasm, which has been accorded to few men in the world's history. From the time of his arrival in New Orleans in August, 18*24, until he landed at the east bluff of Savannah on the igth of March, 1825, the papers of this1 city had contained full accounts of his triumphal tour. His reception in Savannah was fully chronicled by the local papers as the following description of this interesting occasion fully shows: " Almost up to the last hour the time of the probable arrival of our venerated Guest was but conjectural; opinions were various as to the moment at which he might be expected, and all the preparations for giv ing eclat to the visit were confined to little more than a week. How well the time was improved the detail of the circumstances attending it will shew; it was a labour of affectionate respect, in which all appeared to join with heart and hand. As the time approached, the interest pro portionately increased. The stages and packets, particularly from the

* VISIT of GENERAL LA FAYETTE.

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South, were crowded with passengers. The Liberty County Troop of Light Dragoons, under the command of Captain W. M. Maxwell, and the Darien Hussars, Captain Charles West, had early evinced their anx ious desire to do honour to the occasion, and had reached town on the Tuesday preceding. On Friday evening all appeared to be in a buzz of expectation, and numerous parties were collected in almost every spot on Bay street and elsewhere; every one with a face of pleasure and ex pectation. At half past five o'clock on Saturday morning, by a signal from the Chatham Artillery, the Military were warned to repair to their several parade grounds. The line was formed at eight o'clock, soon after which, there being no appearance of the Boat, the troops stacked their arms and were dismissed until the arrival. At an early hour the French and American flags were hoisted on the Exchange steeple, the Revenue Cutter Gallatin, Captain Matthews, was also decorated with flags, and the Merchant Vessels were dressed in the same manner. On Bay street, pn each side of the entrance to the city from under the bluff, were placed two French brass pieces, one of which, tradition informs us, was received in this country, by the same vessel that brought over LaFayette ; they iwere manned by a company of masters of vessels, and others who vol unteered for the occasion. The resort to the Eastern part of the bluff was general at an early part of the morning, continuing to increase dur ing the day; and at the time of the arrival was crowded with ladies and citizens at every point which could command a view of the landing. A temporary landing was erected at the wharf, consisting of a flight of steps and a platform. . . . • . At an early hour the committee of recep tion deputed from the Joint Committee, together with Colonels Brailsford and Randolph, aids of his excellency Governor Troup, proceeded to Fort Jackson in three barges, decorated with flags, rowed by seamen in blue jackets and white trowsers, under the command of Captains Nicolls, Campbell, and Dubois. The first notice of the arrival of the welcome vessel was by a few strokes of the Exchange Bell. A few minutes after the volume of smoke which accompanied her was perceptible over the land; she was then about twelve or fifteen miles off, but rapidly ap proaching. The intelligence, ' The boat's in sight,' spread with electrical rapidity, and the bustle which had in some measure subsided, recom menced and every one repaired to the spot where his lancfing was to take

344

HISTORY OF SAVANNAS.

place. Tnc troops were immediately formed and marched to the lower part of Bay street, where they were placed in position on the green in front of the avenue of trees, their right on East Bay. A more gallant and splendid military display we have never 'seen; the effect wa» beauti ful, every corps exceeded its customary numbers; many who had not appeared under arms for years, shouldered them on this occasion, and the usual pride of appearance and honourable emulation Was ten times increased by the occasion. "Those who knew the Volunteer Companies of Savannah will believe this to be no empty compliment As the Steamboat passed Fort Jackson she was boarded by the Committee of Reception. On their ascending the deck, the General was addressed by their chairman, George Jones, Esq. The boat now came up in gallant style, firing by the way, and a full band of music on board playing the Marseillaise Hymn and other fa vourite French and American airs. Her appearance was imposing and beautiful, to which the splendid and glittering uniforms of the officers from South Carolina who attended the General greatly added. As the Steamboat came up to her anchorage a salute was fired by the Revenue Cutter Gallaiin, Captain Matthews. General LaFayette was now assisted into the first barge accompanied by the Committee and others, the other boats being occupied by the remainder of the suite. As the boat reached the shore the excitement in every face increased. A line was then formed from the landing place on the wharf, facing inwards, composed of the mayor and aldermen of the city, the clergy, the judge and officers of the District Court, the Superior Court, and the Court of Oyer and Terminer, the Union Society, deputations from the Hibernian Society, with their badges and banders; from the St. Andrew's Society with their Badges, and from the Agricultural Society with their badges, and citi zens. The officers and gentlemen who accompanied the General in the Steamboat from Charleston, besides the governor of that State, were Colonel Huger, Major-General Youngblood, General Geddes, AdjutantGeneral Earle, Colonel Keith, Colonel Butler, Colonel Chesnutt, Colonel Brown^ Colonel Clonnie, Colonel Fitsimmons, Colonel Taylor, Major Warley, Major Hamilton, Captaia Moses, and Messrs. Bee and McCloud; Colonel Huger and Major Hamilton alone accepted the invitation of the committee to land and participate in the ceremonies of the procession. ,

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345

. . . As the General placed his foot upon the landing-place a salute was fired by the Chatham Artillery in line on the Bluff, with four brass field-pieces, four and six-pounders, one of which was captured at Yorktown. He was here received by William C. Daniell Esq., mayor of the city. Six cheers were now given by the whole of the citizens, who were assembled on the gratifying occasion; for which the General expressed his grateful acknowledgments to those nearest him. Supported by the mayor and attended by the committee of reception, he now ascended the bluff, followed by his suite, the Members of the Corporation, the So cieties and Citizens. Here he was again enthusiastically cheered. On arriving at the top of the Bluff, on the green, he was presented to Gov ernor Troup, by whom, in the most cordial manner, he was welcomed to the soil of Georgia. LaFayette replied in feeling terms. The General was then introduced to several Revolutionary soldiers; among those present were General Stewart, Colonel Shellman, Eb. Jackson, Sheftall Sheftall, and Captain Rees. The utmost animation appeared to sparkle in the eyes of the General at this time. This was particularly the case when the latter, addressing him with a cordial grip of the hand, said, ' I remember you, I saw you in Philadelphia,' and proceeded to narrate some trifling incidents of the occasion; to which the General replied, ' Ah, I remember!' and taking Captain Rees's hand between both of his, the eyes of each glistening with pleasure, they stood for a few mo ments apparently absorbed in recollections of the days of their youth. The officers of the brigade and of the regiment were then introduced. Whilst these introductions were going on a salute was fired along the whole line of infantry. The General and suite, together with the gov ernor and suite, the Revolutionary officers, mayor, committee of recep tion, guests, General Harden and suite, Colonel McAllister, and the field officers from the adjoining Counties proceeded on foot down the front of the line in review. After passing the troops the General ascended the carriage prepared for his reception, and the procession moved in the fol ;*. y lowing order : " i st. F. M. Stone, Marshal of the City, with staff of office.

" 2d. Divisions of the Georgia Hussars, Liberty and Mclntosh Troops of Cavalry, Jas. Barnard first Marshal with Staff.

" 3d. General LaFayette and Governor Troup, in a Landau drawn by ** , four grey horses.

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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

"4th. The Mayor of the City and Colonel Huger, in a second Carriage, " 5th. G. W. LaFayette and Mr. LeVasseur in a third carriage. " 6th. Revolutionary officers in a fourth carriage. " /th. Brigadier General, the suites of the Governor and the General. J. Habersham, second Marshal and Staff. •" 8th, The Committee of Council of the Citizens and of Officers. " gth. Aldermen. " loth. The Reverend Clergy, Judge^TOfficers of the United States Consuls, Officers of Courts, H. Cope, thi^d Marshal, with Staff, E. Bourquln, fourth Marshal. " nth. The Union, The Hiberniant The St. Andrew's, and Agricult ural Societies in ranks of eight, Citizens in ranks of eight Sam. M. Bond, fifth Marshal, Jos. S. Pelot, sixth Marshal. "i 2th. Divisions of the Georgia Hussars, Liberty and Mclntosh Troops of Cavalry. " 13th. Field Officers of other Regiments. " I4th. Officers of the Army and Navy. " 15th. Company Officers of the first and other Regiments. Lieuten ant Colonel, Chatham Artillery, United States Troops, Savannah Volun teer Guards, Georgia Volunteers, Republican Blues, Savannah Juvenile Guards, Major and Regimental Staff. " The procession moved up East Broad street, to Broughton street, -from thence to West Broad street, from thence to South Broad street, down that street to Abe"rcorn street, and through Abercorn street to Oglethorpe square. When the procession began to move, a third salute was fired by the Marine Corps which we have heretofore mentioned. . . . . The procession moved as prescribed in the arrangements of the day, and about half past five o'clock in the afternoon he arrived at the lodgings appropriated for him at Mrs. Maxwell's, the same in which Gov ernor Troup resided. The time of his landing was at three o'clock ; so that the reception and procession took up about two hours and a half. The troops then filed off to the South Common and fired a National sa lute, after which they returned to the quarters of the General to whom they paid the marching salute. " During the passage of the procession, the windows and doors, as well as the spacious streets through which he passed, were crowded to excess;

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and the expression of enthusiastic feeling was repeatedly displayed by ail, from the highest to the lowest He was saluted by the ladies from every place affording a view of the procession, by the waving of handkerchiefs; which he returned by repeated and continued inclination of the head; bowing in acknowledgment At sundown another salute was fired by the Marine Volunteer Corps. Such was the inspiring and joyful spec tacle produced by the reception of General La Fayette in our City." During General LaFayette's visit to Savannah he laid the corner-stones of the Greene and Pulaski monuments, the former in Johnson and the latter in Chippewa squares. The corner-stone of the Greene Monument, in commemoration of the event, bears the following inscription: " This corner-stone of a monument to the memory of Major-General Nathanael Greene, was laid by General LaFayette at the request of the citizens of Savannah, on the twenty-first of March, A. D. 1825." Upon the other was: " On the twenty-first day of March, A. D. 1825, was laid by General LaFayette, at the request of the citizens of Savannah, this foundation stone of a monument to the memory of Brigadier Count Pulaski." The house in which General LaFayette was entertained during his stay in the city still stands. It faces Oglethorpe square and is now the resi dence of Mrs. H. W. Thomas. It was built in the early part of the pres ent century, and still presents much of the appearance it did when LaFayr ette was a guest beneath its roof. In 1831 was commenced the erection of Fort Pulaski, the most im portant defense of the city against hostile approach by sea, commanding as it does the mouth of the Savannah River. It is situated fourteen miles from the city, on Cockspur Island, and was named in honor of BrigadierGeneral Count Pulaski. The site for it was selected by Major Babcock, of the United States Engineer Corps, about 1827-8, and work was begun upon it by Captain Manfield, United States engineer, at the time stated. It was completed in 1847, at a cost °f a million dollars, but was never occupied by troops until in January, 1861, when it was taken possession of by Confederate troops by order of Governor Brown. * The erection of permanent barracks in Savannah began to be dis cussed in the winter of 1831. The mayor and aldermen presented to Congress a memorial which the War Department favorably received, and immediately issued orders to find suitable quarters' within the city for

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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.
troops during the summer months with the view of ascertaining the healthfulness of the location. The theater was secured for such purpose, and here a detachment of the regular army was quartered during the summer of 1832. This venture convinced Captain Merchant, who with fifty-five men was stationed here, that Savannah was a most desirable location for the erection of army barracks, and in October, 1832, he made a report to the War Department to this effect ." During the next session of Congress an appropriation of $30,000 was made for a site and the building of a barracks. They were constructed about 1^32-5, and covered two blocks and the lane between, extending from Liberty to Harris streets, and from Bull to Drayton, fronting on Bull street The period from 1830 to 1840 witnessed the inauguration of some of the most important events in the history of Savannah, as the formation of the poorhouse and hospital society, the Georgia Infirmary, and the Central Railroad incorporation. The last named enterprise has had a most important bearing on the destinies of Savannah. The first sixtyseven miles of the road was completed in 1838, and gave a wonderful impetus to the commerce of the city. Improvements began on every hand. In 1839 there was scarcely a building adapted for commercial purposes untenanted. Stores and counting-houses arose at every turn, and the little city with its 1.1,000 inhabitants in 1840 was supreme in the Sea Isl and cotton, rice and lumber trades. Steam-mills were put into operation, steam packet lines were established, and, to keep pace with the commer cial growth of the city, means of culture for the inhabitants were not neglected as is evidenced by the formation in 1839 of the Georgia His torical Society, which from that time to the present has been one of the most beneficent Institutions of the city. The 4th of July, 1845, was observed by the citizens of Savannah as a day of mourning for Andrew Jackson, the late president of the United States. In commemoration of the life, services, and character of this illus trious soldier and statesman an eulogy was pronounced by Matthew MeAllister at the Independent Presbyterian Church. Francis M. Stone was chief marshal of the day and had charge of the procession in which the following civil and military officers, organizations, societies, and com panies took part: The United States troops, and volunteer companies of the! city of Sa-

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I

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f

jr.

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vannah, commanded by Colonel White, the orator and committee of ar rangements, the reverend clergy, judges and officers of the Superior Court, justices and\>fficers of the Inferior Court and Court of Ordinary, judge and officers of the Court of Common Pleas and Oyer and Terminer, the mayor and aldermen, and ail officers deriving their appoint ments from the city, justices of the peace, foreign consuls and officers, the collector and other officers of the customs, officers and soldiers of the Revolution, officers of the revenue marine, officers of the militia, the Union Society, the Medical Society, the Library Society, the Hibernian"1 Society, the St Andrew's Society, the German Friendly Society, the Georgia Historical Society, the Catholic Temperance Society, the Me-, chanics' Temperance Society, the Agricultural Society, Georgia Chapter No. 3 and Masonic Lodges of Savannah, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the United Ancient Order of Druids, teachers of public schoolsj and their pupils, teachers of Sabbath-schools and their pupils, the pilot of the port of Savannah, captains and officers of vessels and marines. When hostilities between the United States and Mexico commenced in 1846, a call was made upon Georgia for a regiment of soldiers to be sent to the seat of war. All the infantry volunteer companies of the city offered their services to the State to make up the regiment, but only one com pany could be taken and it was decided by lot which it should be. The lot fell upon the Irish Jasper Greens, which was accepted and formed a part of the regiment, which, under the command of Colonel Henry R. Jack son, shared the honors won by American soldiers on the plains of Mexico. The Jasper Greens were composed of the following named officers and 'men: J. McMahon, captain ; G. Curlette, D. O'Conner, lieutenants; John Devaney, M. Carey, P. Martin, sergeants ; Leo Wylly, M. Feery, P. Tierney, T. Bourke, Owen Reilly, corporals; William Baudy, W. D. Burke, P. Bossee, Francis Camfield, J. Chalmers, P. Clark, P. Cody, John Coffee, William Coffee, John Coulihan, Elijah Coudon, Joseph Davis, Dennis Dermond, Michael Downy, Michael Duggan, Francis Datzner, Charles^ Farrelly, Thomas Fenton, David Fountain, James Fleeting, James Flynn, William P. Fielding, James Feely, P. Gerrin, Moses Gleason, O. B. Hall, Michael Hoar, Timothy Howard, R. M. Howard, E. W. Irwin, John Keegin, Humphrey Leary.CW- S. Lev?) David Lynch, Michael Lynch, L. Mahoney, Henry Moury, John Makin, Bryan Morris, James McFehilly,

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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

Hugh Martagh, Henry Nagle, Daniel Nichels, M. M. Payne, George Perminger, Thomas Pigeon, John Reagan, Francis Reeves, R. Richardson,!^/. RineharOB. RodebuckJ R. M. Robertson, J. D. Ryan, Thomas Ryan, John Sanderlyn, Michael Shea^Peter Seizme), David Stokes, C. F. E. Smyth, R. L. S. Smith, Patrick Shiels, Patrick Tidings, Daniel F. Fowles, J. W. Warden, James Waters, Michael Weldon, John Whaling, James Waters, jr.jCjacob ZimmermarO privates; William Gatehouse, George Gatehouse, musicians. In May, 1847, Daniel Webster, accompanied by his wife and Miss Sutton, visited Savannah and was accorded a public reception in John son square. The citizens gave him a public dinner at the Pulaski House, and he was also similarly entertained by the bar of Savannah ; at the lat ter Hon. M. Hall McAllister, and Hon. William Law presided. The distinguished orator and jurist was highly gratified with his reception, and made a feeling speech of thanks. Col. James'S. Mclntosh, of Savannah, one of the heroes of the Mex ican War, died in October, 1847, °f wounds received in the battle of El Molino del Rey on the 8th of September, 1847. His remains were brought to Savannah, where his funeral obsequies were held on Satur day, March 18, 1848. The Savannah paper of March 20, 1848, gives the following notice of the services: " Our fellow-citizens generally on Saturday forsook their usual avo cations to mingle around the bier of the veteran soldier, the gallant leader of the Third Infantry, and acting brigadier-general in more than one well fought battle on the plains of Mexico. The Music of the Military, at an early hour of the forenoon, summoned the Members of the respec tive Volunteer Corps, attached to the First Regiment, and their full ranks attested the admiration of the Citizen Soldier for the character of the warrior who now rested from his labors. «k . " The National Banner was displayed at half-mast at the Garrison and on the Chatham Light Artillery Armory—and all the shipping in Port displayed their colors also at half-mast. The following corps formed as a battalion on the Bay. ^he Georgia Hussars—Captain Bailey. The Chatham Light Artillery—Captain Stephens. The Republican Blues— Captain Anderson. The Savannah Volunteer Guards, Captain Richard son The Irish Jasper Greens—Captain M'Mahon. The German Vol unteers, Captain Stegin. The Phoenix Riflemen, Lieutenant Polin.

VISIT OF EX-PRESIDENT POLK.

351

" Under the command of Colonel Knapp the battalion proceeded to the residence of Major Wm. J. Mclntosh, where the mortal remains of his gallant brother reposed. The veteran lay in a leaden coffin, inclosed in one of Mahogany, with the following inscription: Colonel Jas. S. Mc lntosh, Fifth Regiment, United States Infantry, died first October, 1847, of wounds, received in the battle of El Molino del Rey, Mexido, eighth September, 1847. The American flag was thrown as a pall over the coffin, and the sword with the dress of the deceased, (pierced by eight bul let holes), which was worn by him at the fatal battle of El Molino del Rey, rested upon the coffin. Reverend Rufus White of St. John's Church, as sisted by Edward Neufvilk D.D., officiated at the house, and read the funeral service of the Episcopal Church. Escort, Clergy—Pall Bearers, W. B. Bullock, Judge J. M. Wayne, Major Wade, U. S. A., Lieutenant Colonel Law, Colonel Williams, Colonel J. W. Jackson, Captain Stephens, Major Talcott, U. S. A., Family, Colonel John G. Park, and Major M. D. Huson, the Commander on the part of the State in charge of the body from Mexico—Officer^of the Army and Navy, Brigadier General White and Staff, Committee from the Floyd Rifles and Macon Volunteers un der Captain Conner; Officers of the First Regiment—Grand Marshal not on Duty—Mayor and Aldermen—Citizens. " On entering the old Cemetery, the services at the grave were per formed by Reverend Rufus White. After the coffin was deposited in the vault which contains the remains of General Lachlan Mclntosh, a patriot of the Revolution, three volleys were fired over the grave of the warrior by the Rifles and the four Companies of Infantry. The battalion then returned to the Bay, and the Companies were dismissed to their respec tive commands. Thus has the grave closed over the remains of one who in life we cherished as a gallant citizen, ready at any moment to lay down his life for his Country." / Saturday, March 10, 1849, was made memorable in the municipal his/ tory of Savannah by the arrival in the city of ex-President James K. Polk. ' He was received by the mayor and aldermen of the city and a commit/ tee of twenty-one citizens. He came by boat from Charleston and was / accompanied by his wife, nieces, and Hon. Robert J. Walker, ex-secre/ tary of the treasury. The battalions composed of the Hussars. Lieu- / tenant Blois; the Blues, Captain Anderson; the Guards, Captain Rich- '

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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

ardson ; the Irish Jasper Greens, Captain Wylly ; the German Volun teers, Captain Stegin ; and the Phoenix Riflemen, Captain Mills, turned out in honor of his presence. He remained from Saturday evening until Monday morning, when the Republican Blues escorted him to the CenRailroad depot, whence he proceeded to Macon.

In August of the following year the people of Savannah, in common with the people all over the country, mourned the death of the chief mag istrate of the nation, Zachary Taylor, whose victories in Mexico had so shortly before won the hearts of the American people. The mayor and aldermen adopted suitable measures for the commemoration of his death, which were carried out on Thursday, the 8th oi August. W. W. Gates was made chief marshal of the day, and a committee of arrangements, composed of R. R. Cuyler, W. Thorne Williams, F. S. Barton, William Law, W. P. White, W. B. Felmaine, J. L. Locke.^lderman J. Lippman) Robert Habersham, E. J. Hardin, A. R. Lawton. Chas. S. Henry, Geo. Schley, R. D. Arnold. Aldermen R. H. Griffin and M. Gumming was appointed. A procession was formed, composed as follows : The escort of volunteer companies, chief marshal, the standard of theUnited States, the orator and committee of arrangementej-the reverend clergy, teachers of public schools, the mayor and aldermen and their officers, judges and officers of the Su perior Court, justices of thevlnferior Court and their officers, judge of the Court of Common Pleas, and Oyer and Terminer and officers, magistrates and officers of the city and county, foreign consuls, officers of the United States, collector and officers of the customs, military and naval officers of the United States, brigadier-general of the First Brigade and staff", major of cavalry and staff, field staff and company officers First Regiment, the Union Society, the^edical Society, the Library Society, the Hibernian -^Society, the St. Andrew's Society, the German Friendly Society, the Georgia Historical Society, the Iribh Union Society, Temperance Soci eties. During the march of the procession the Chatham Artillery fired minute-guns to the number of sixty-five, the age of the deceased, and at sunset a national salute was fired. Banks, public buildings, stores and private dwellings were draped in mourning, and during the ceremonies all business was suspended. Francis S. Bartow delivered the funeral eulogy on the public life and character of the illustrious dead at the new Methodist Church in St James square.

VISIT OF EX- PRESIDENT FlLLMORE.

The present custom-house was erected in 1850, under plans designed | by John S. Norris. The customs had been collected for several years previous to the erection of the present building in the Exchange. On the 22d of April, 1854, ex- President Fillmore, accompanied by Hon. John P. Kennedy, arrived in Savannah. They were received at the Central Railroad depot by a large concourse of citizens, the Chatham Ar tillery firing"^ salute as the train came in. The reception ceremonies were held in the extensive warehouse of the Central Railroad, after which the distinguished guest and suite were honored by a ciyic and military escort to quarters provided at the Pulaski House. " On Saturday, the 'day following his arrival, the ex-president," says the Georgian of Tuesday April 25th, "visited Bonaventure." " On Sunday morning he attended Christ Church, Reverend Bishop Elliott, officiating. In the afternoon he attended the Independent Presbyterian Church, and listened to a sermon from Reverend (Lhas. Rogers, in the absence of the Pastor, Reverend Doc tor Preston, .in the evening he attended the Unitarian Church, Rev erend John Prerpont, Junior, to which denomination we believe he is at tached as a member. Yesterday from ten to eleven o'clock a public levee was held at the Pulaski House. The citizens without distinction paid their respects to the ex- President. At eleven o'clock by invitation of Captain Hardie, Mr. Fillmore and suite visited the Steamship the Key Stone State. He was welcomed by a salute of twenty-one guns. Af terwards the Steamer Seminofcwas placed at his. disposal — the ex-Presi dent and his friends viewing the scenery down the river. Dinner fol lowed, and many toasts were enjoyed on board the Seminole. The Boat returned to the city at an early hour of the evening, in time to attend the ball, where there was a large gathering. On Tuesday morning 1^he party departed for Charleston accompanied by several citizens." The year 1854 was an era of extraordinary calamity. Throughout the civilized world its history is written in pestilence, war, and disasters of the most fatal and appalling character. The fields of Eastern Europe were strewn with the dead of contending armies who fell by the sword and by pestilence. Over our own country swept two fatal epidemics, the cholera in the North and West and the fever in the South, while dis asters at sea, collisions on land, tornadoes and conflagrations added to the destruction of life and property in a degree perhaps unparalleled in any

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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

previous year. Savannah was severely scourged by yellow fever. The disease made its appearance on the I2th of August in the eastern district of the city among the Irish population in Washington ward. Here the sickness was confined to a limited space for a week or ten days, be fore its epidemic character had been sufficiently developed to excite gen eral apprehension. It soon, however, spread over a larger surface in the eastern district, after which it extended with great rapidity through the center of the city westward, spreading from St. Julien to South Broad street and reaching to the extreme western limits of the town. By the first of September the epidemic was diffused in every direction, and the mortality reached its maximum height about the I2th of that month, on which day fifty-one interments were reported. For several days there was little abatement observable in the sickness or number of deaths, and it is very certain that but for the exertions of the mayor of the city, the medical faculty, the Board of Health, the clergy, the Young Men's Be nevolent Association, organized about that time, and the many benevo lent citizens who devoted themselves to the alleviation of the general suffering among all classes of the citizens, the list of mortality would have been increased to a still more frightful figure. The decline of the sick ness began about the 2Oth of September. During the week ending on / the 26th of that month the deaths from all diseases numbered 121, being 68 less than the previous week, and 79 less than the week ending on the I2th. when the mortality reached 210. From the 26th the number of ' deaths gradually decreased until the 29th of October, the date of the last report of the Board of Health, when only one death by yellow fever was recorded. The epidemic continued about nine or twelve weeks and during that ) time the mortality from all diseases reached upwards of one thousand, 'and the number of sick during the same period, including the dead, was at least five thcfusand. The census taken by the Young Men's Benevo lent Association when the sickness was at its height gave a white popu lation of 6,OOO, being only one-third of the permanent white population. Of the 6,000 who remained in the city a very large majority were sick, ( while many of those who had left had been sick and had recovered, or were attacked after leaving the city. The medical faculty and the clergy were conspicuous in their devotion to the plague stricken city, most of

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them remaining at their post of duty while several fell while battling with the disease. Ten physicians and three medical students were numbered 7 with the dead while many others were sick. Of the clergy three died and every one of their number who remained was attacked. Of the editorial corps, all of whom remained at their posts until attacked, two died. The fearful ravage of yellow fever was not the only calamity the people of Savannah were called upon to endure in 1854, for on the loth of September of this year a severe storm fell upon the city which wrought great havoc. Hutchinson and Fig islands were covered with water, a number of houses were washed away, and several persons were drowned. Most of the trees on South Broad street were blown down, buildings were unroofed, shipping in the river was driven upon the wharves, and the large dry-dock parted from its mooring, floated up the river, anda damaged several vessels. Never had the people of Savannah been more sorely tried. Disease, tempest, and tides had united to complete the work of destruction. The deplorable condition of the people strangely appealed to the sympathy of the benevolent all over the country and contributions o£ money to the extent of nearly sixty thousand dollars, and of provisions poured in from every quarter. The thanks of the people for this timely and generous assistance were expressed at a meeting of the city council, when Alderman Screven offered the following resolutions which were unanimously adopted: " Whereas, by the dispensation of Providence, this city has been af flicted with an epidemic of the most fatal character, and its inhabitants during its prevalence have been the recipients of the munificence and benevolence of various public bodies, charitable associations, and indi viduals. Be it therefore resolved that the thanks of this body are due, and are hereby tendered to the corporate authorities of our sister cities for the sympathy they have manifested in the afflictions'of this city, and for their generous contributions in aid of its suffering and des titute inhabitants. Resolved, that the thanks of this body are due, and are hereby tendered to all benevolent and other associations and to in dividuals who have in any manner contributed to th,e relief of the af flicted in this city. Thanks to the resident physicians for their noble conduct during the epidemic; to transient physicians for their profes-

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sional gallantry when our physicians were falling in our midst, victims to the faithful discharge of duties. Thanks to the devoted clergy who, without exception, pursued their holy calling. Thanks to the Young Men's Benevolent Association." The progress of the city from 1855 to the beginning of the war was of the most satisfactory character in its social, religious, business, and ma terial interests. The great political questions which agitated the country during this period largely engrossed the public attention, and the events immediately preceding 1860 and during the years of the war are so im portant that a separate chapter has been devoted to this period of the city's history. >

CHAPTER XXVI.
THE WAR PERIOD. Exciting Event in 1860—Secession of South Carolina—Rejoicing in Savannah—Call tor a State Convention—Governor Brown's Order—Seizure of Fort Pulaski—State Con vention in Savannah—Unfurling ofthe Confederate Flag—Departure of the Oglethorpe Light Infantry-—Death of General Bartow—Defenses of Savannah—General Lee in Sa. vannah—Attack on Fort Pulaski—Surrender of the Garrison—Naval Assault on Fort McAllister—Sherman^s March from Atlanta—Proclamation by the Mayor—The Fed eral Army before Savannah—Fort McAllister Attacked by a Land Force—Graphic Ac count of the Assault and Its Capture—Plans for Evacuating the City—General Shernian's Demand for the Surrender of Savannah—Evacuation of the City—How the City was Surrendered—General Sherman's Order—Confiscation of Cotton—Destructive Fire of January, 1865—Return of Peace and Prosperity.

N Savannah, as well as all over, the country, political affairs monopo lized a large share of the public attention from 1855 to 1860. Na tional politics, before the latter year closed, had reached the point of rev olution. The people of the South and North were beginning to assert themselves away beyond their leaders, who had worked them up to the extremity where discussion and persuasion ceased to have any weight or effect Savannah had enjoyed a career of business prosperity for a few years preceding the war, but when the first sound of war's alarms was

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heard throughout the land the march of progress diverged from its ac customed course. Building operations were, to a great extent, discon tinued, and business in seme of its departments was paralyzed to a greater" _ , or less extent. In the present quiet and peaceful days in Savannah it is hard to realize the intensely excited state of public feeling in the latter part of 1860. That the two sections were on the verge of open rupture all felt, but few appreciated the magnitude of the struggle that was to take place. Still the hum of preparation was heard on every side, and the ranks of the va rious volunteer companies were crowded with new members. There was an eager restlessness that filled every soul, and while the older citizens may have felt some forebodings for the future, there can be no doubt that the great mass of the people thought the time for argument had passed and were ready to maintain what they believed to be their rights at the hazard of their lives. The newspapers of Savannah were faithful chroniclers of these times. Every move of the diverse populations of the Union was recorded and every changing shade of public opinion. For months, and until the in auguration of Lincoln, all eyes were turned upon Charleston, S. C. It was the theater of exciting events, and even local affairs-were lost sight of in view of the contest between that State and the Federal authorities. The diplomatic movements of the distinguished agents and commission ers of the State, and afterward of those of the Confederate States were carefully noted and criticised and furnished occasion for some fierce out bursts against the North. The resignations of Cobb, Floyd, Thompson, and Thomas were occasions eagerly seized for an eulogy upon these statesmen, and the formation of the provisional government of the Con federacy, and the organization and assembling of troops kept the public constantly on the qui vive. The announcement of the secession of South Carolina in December of 1860 was hailed with almost as much delight in Savannah as in Charles ton. A secession flag bearing the representation of a large rattlesnake, with the inscription " Don't Tread on me" was unfurled from the top of '• the Green Monument in Johnson square, while the newspapers were filled with calls for meetings to ratify the course of South Carolina. The old vol- ( unteer companies, the Chatham Artillery, Savannah Volunteer Guards,'

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Republican Blues, Georgia Hussars, Pkoenix Riflemen, Irish Jasper Greens, Oglethorpe Light Infantry, De Kalb Riflemen, and German Vol unteers, promptly tendered their services for any duty that might be re quired of them. A call for a State convention to be held in*Savannah was issued in December, 1860, and throughout the State was received with ready re sponse. An election for delegates to this convention was held in Savan nah on January 2, 1861, and resulted in the selection of Francis S. Bartow, John W. Anderson, and Colonel A. S. Jones, all of whom favored im mediate secession and separate State action. When the news of the evacuation of Fort Moultrie and the occupa tion of Fort Sumter by United States troops, under Major Anderson, reached Savannah the excitement reached fever heat. The evident in tention of the United States government to gain possession of all the forts commanding the harbors of the Southern States determined Governor Joseph E. Brown to take the bold step of seizing the fortifications of the United States built upon Georgia soil to prevent their occupation by the , Federal government. At this time the First Volunteer Regiment of Sa. vannah, was the only military organization larger than a company at his command, and accordingly an order was transmitted to Colonel A. R. Lawton, then in command of the regiment, directing him at once to take possession of Fort Pulaski, " and to hold it against all persons." The full text of this memorable document was as follows:

" HEADQUARTERS, GEORGIA MILITIA, "SAVANNAH, January 2, 1861. " Col. A. R. Lawton, Commanding ist Regiment, Georgia Vols., Savannah:
"SIR,—In view of the fact that the government at Washington has, as we are informed on high authority, decided on the policy of coercing a seceding State back into the Union, and it is believed now has a move ment on foot to reinforce Fort Sumter, at Charleston, and to occupy with Federal troops the Southern forts, including Fort Pulaski in this State, which if done would give the Federal government in any contest grea*t advantage over the people in this State; to the end therefor that this stronghold which commands also the entrance into Georgia may not be occupied by any hostile force until the convention of the State of

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Georgia, which is to meet on the i6th instant, has decided on the policy which Georgia will adopt in this emergency, you are ordered to take pos session of Fort Pulaski as by public order herewith, and to hold it against all persons, to be abandoned only under orders from me or under com pulsion by an overpowering hostile force. "Immediately upon occupying the fort you will take measures to put it in a thorough state of defense as far as its means and ours will permit; and for this purpose you will advise with Captain Claghorn, Chatham Artillery, who has been charged with all matters relating to ordnance and ordnance stores, and their supply. "You will further arrange with Captain Claghorn a series of day and night signals for communicating with the city of Savannah, for the pur pose of calling for reinforcements, or for other necessary purposes. And you will arrange with Mr. John Cunningham, military purveyor for the time being, for the employment of one or more steamboats, or other means of transportation by land or by water that may be necessary, and for other supplies (except for ordnance stores, for which you will call up on Captain Claghorn) as may be required. "If circumstances should require it the telegraph will be placed under surveillance. I think from our Conversations you fully understand my views, and, relying upon your patriotism, energy, and sound discretion in the execution of this important and delicate trust, I am sir, very re Your obedient servant, spectfully,

" JOSEPH E. BROWN, " Governor and Commander-in-Chief."
" Upon the issue of this order," says Colonel Charles H. Olmstead in his history of the First Georgia Regiment, published in the Savannah News of May 5, 1886, " the city was in a fever of excitement. Here at last was the first step in actual war—a step that placed State and central gov ernment in open antagonism, the beginning whose ending no man could foretell. There may have been faint hearts that trembled in view of re sulting possibilities, but among the military of Savannah the order was received with unbounded enthusiasm Dissatisfied ones there were, but only because they were not among the chosen few who were to carry out the orders of the governor. "At ah early hour on January 3, 1861, detachments from the Chat-

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ham Artillery, Captain Joseph S. Claghorn, the Savannah Volunteer Guards, Captain John Screven, and the Oglethorpe Light Infantry, Cap tain Francis S. ,Bartow, marched to the wharf at the foot of West Broad street and embarked on board the steamer Ida to take possession of Fort Pulaski " Truth compels the statement that the expeditionary force carried enough baggage to have served for a division later in the war. Every soldier had his trunk or valise, his cot and his roll of bedding, while to every three or four there was a huge mess chest large enough for the cooking outfit of a full regiment. The recollection of all these things brings a smile now, but there is only proud exultation as those who took part in the stirring event recall the generous enthusiasm, the fervid pa triotism, that glowed in every heart Alas! how many of those noble young hearts were soon to beat no more; how many gallant youths who on that bright morning glorfed in the honor of serving our mother, Georgia, were soon to ' illustrate' her by their death. Some led the way in the first shock of arms upon the plains of Manassas ; some in the fierce seven days' grapple around Richmond ; some at Sharpsburg, at Fredericksburg, at Gettysburg, at the Wilderness, at Murfreesboro, at Chickamauga, at Kenesaw, at Atlanta, at Franklin, at Nashville, and some at the last fatal struggle at Sailor's Creek. "In due time Fort Pulaski was reached; its garrison, one elderly United States sergeant, made no defense, and the three companies of the first volunteer regiment marched in with drums beating and colors fly ing, and so for them a soldier's life began. "The armament of the fort at that time consisted of but twenty oldfashioned long 32-pounders" mounted upon cast-iron carriages, rusty from age and lack of care, the magazines were nearly empty, a few solid sh<?t were all the projectiles that could be found. And yet the little gar rison felt ready to meet the entire navy of the United States, for which, by the way, we looked for at every high tide. The duty of the hour called for hard, vigorous work, and it was refreshing to note the alacrity with which this citizen soldiery turned their hands to everything, from scrap ing the rust from gun carriages to polishing the casemates. -.-. There was an individuality in each man, that marked characteristic of the Southern soldier that afterwards, upon so many battlefields held grimly to posi-

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tions, from which, by all the rules of warfare, the Confederates should have been swept All the routine of garrison duties was promptly inau gurated by Colonel Lawton, whose West Point training and army life here served him in good stead. Guards were regularly mounted, drills at the heavy guns began at once, and a rigid system of military discipline maintained. "In course of time the first three companies were relieved from this duty and others took their places, until every command in the city, in cluding the Georgia Hussars and Savannah Artillery, had again and again served at this excellent school of military instruction. True, it was long ere an enemy appeared before the walls of Pulaski, but the les sons learned in garrison life there were fit preparation for activjp service on other fields. Meanwhile military spirit ran high in the city, and dur ing the first part of 1861 several new companies were formed and added to the regiment under the provisions of the act above quoted. Among these were the Pulaski Guards, the Irish Volunteers, Company B Irish Jasper Greens, the Forest City Rangers, the City Light Guard, the Wash ington Volunteers, the Coast Rifles, the Montgomery Guards. Each and all were full companies, and did valiant service throughout the war." In the meantime the people in Savannah were kept in a state of ex cited feeling. The adoption of the ordinance of secession by South Car olina caused a spontaneous feeling among the people of Georgia that they should take the same stand with their sister State. A large gath ering of the citizens of Savannah was held at the Masonic Hall, on the corner of Bull and Broughton streets, at which eloquent speeches were made in favor of secession, and a series of resolutions advocating such a course were adopted, and when a short time thereafter in January, 1861, the ordinance of secession was adopted by the State of Georgia in no quarter of the State was it hailed with more delight than in Savannah. All now prepared for the conflict which they saw was inevitable. The State convention reassembled in Savannah on-the 7th of March, 1861, and after adopting a constitution for the State adjourned. The day fol lowing this assembling the flag of the Confederate States was thrown to the breeze from the custom-house by Major W. J. Mclntosh, and a salute of seven guns—one for each State in the Confederacy—was fired in honor of the occasion.
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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

After the Confederacy had been brought into existence, orders were rapidly issued from its capitol at Montgomery in reference to the mar shaling of the forces of the South. One of the first orders appointed Colonel A. R. Lawton to a brigadier-generalship, and his connection with the first regiment was severed. Under his orders Fort Jackson and Oglethorpe Barracks were seized and occupied by Savannah soldiers. The vacancy occasioned by the promotion of General Lawton was filled by the election of Hugh W. Mercer to the colonelcy of the First Regi ment At the same time Lieutenant-Colonel Stiles having resigned to enter the service with the Savannah Volunteer Guards, of which corps he was also an officer, Major W. S. Rockwell was elected lieutenantcolonel, and Charles H. Olmstead, major. Edward Lawton succeeded to the adjutantcy. The Oglethorpe Light Infantry of Savannah, under command of Captain Francis S. Bartow, was the first of the Savannah companies to respond to President Davids call for troops. They departed from the city on May 21, 1861, for Richmond, being escorted to the cars by the volunteer companies of tKc city and a large concourse of citizens, who little dreamed that in a few short weeks they would be mourning the death of the company's gallant captain. Such, however, was the case, for the same dispatch which told of the victory at Manassas on the 22d of July, 1861, brought the sad news of General Bartow's death. His re mains were brought to the city on the 2/th of July, vand his funeral was one of most solemn and imposing spectacles ever witnessed in Savannah. General Bartow's l remains lie buried in Laurel Grove Cemetery.
1 General Bartow was born in Savannah on the 6th of September, 1816. After grad uating at Franklin College, at Athens, Ga., in 1835 he began the study of law in the office of Berrien & Law of Savannah, and afterwards attended the law school at New Haven, Conn. After his admission to the bar he became a member of the law firm of Law, Bartow & Lovell of Savannah. He was elected to the State Senate and served several times in the House of Representatives. In 1860 he took a decided stand in favor of secession. He'represented Chatham county in the State convention which carried Georgia out of the Union, and was selected by the convention to represent his native State in the Confederate Congress which met in Montgomery, Ala., and was chosen chair man of the military committee. Soon after his arrival in Virginia with the Oglethorpe Light Infantry, of which he had been captain from 1857, he was appointed colonel of the Eighth Georgia Regiment, and at the first battle of Manassas was commanBing a brigade composed of the Seventy, Eighth, Ninth, and Eleventh Georgia and the First

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During the summer of 1861 the First Regiment was scattered to various points along the Georgia coast. They helped to build and equip ' the numerous fortifications with which the coast was lined. They were stationed at Forts Pulaski and Jackson and at other points on the Savan nah River, on Tybee Island, at Causton's Bluff, Thunderbolt, Green Island, and St. Catherine's Island. During the war there were three lines of defense adopted to protect Savannah, and a fourth begun but aban- ' doned after an inconsiderable amount of work had been done. The first or exterior line of defense was constructed early in the war, to protect the coast from attack by the Federal navy, and to prevent the landing of troops. This line extended from Causton's Bluff, four miles east of Savannah, to the Ogeechee River, and embraced the following points, at which works were erected: Greenwich, Thunderbolt, Isle of Hope, Beaulieu, and Rosedew. Detached works were also constructed on Whitmarsh, Skidaway, and Green Islands, but these lalter works were only occupied a portion of the time, and towards the close of the war were mostly abandoned. The general character of the works at the points mentioned were water batteries, constructed of earth and reveted with sand-bags, sods, and facines, with traverses, bomb-proofs, etc. The armament of these works generally consisted of heavy ordnance en bar bette. Where rifle guns and columbiads could not be procured smooth bore 42 and 60- pounders were employed. The river batteries, located
Kentucky Regiments. During the forepart of the battle his command suffered heavily, and at noon when it became necessary for the left of the Confederate army to fall back to its original position occupied early in the morning his regiments also retired. During this movement General Bartow rode up to General Beauregard, the general command ing and said : " What shall now be done ? Tell me, and, if human efforts can avail, I will do it." General Beauregard pointing to a battery at Stone Bridge, replied : ''That bat tery should be silenced." Seizing the standard of the Seventh Georgia Regiment and calling upon the remnants of his command to follow him, he led the van in the charge. A ball wounded him slightly and killed his horse under him. Still grasping the stand ard, and rising again, he mounted another horse, and waving his cap around his head cheered his troops to come on. They followed. Another ball pierced his heart and he fell to the ground, exclaiming to those who gathered around him, "they have killed me^^ but never give up the field, " and expired. His dying injunction was obeyed. His command proceeded oh the charge and silenced the battery under the protection of •which the enemy had hurled the missile of death into the heart of one whose fall plunged a struggling nation into mourning.—Abridged from a sketch in the '' Historical Record of Savannah."

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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

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at and around Fort Jackson, were intended for the protection of the main water approach and to constitute the extreme left of the above men tioned line. Prominent among the works referred to was Fort Bartow i at Causton's Bluff. This was the largest and most complete work on the entire coast, and the character of the work and labor expended in its construction attested the importance attached to this position as a salient point on this line, and, so to speak, the key to Savannah. This was a bastioned work inclosing an area of seventeen acres, with glacis, moat, curtains, and in fact every appointment complete, bomb-proofs and sur geon-rooms under ground, with advanced batteries and rifle pits in front near the water line. The other works on this line were not from this character deserving of special notice. Fort Bartow was pronounced by some of the ablest Southern officers a splendid work and recognized by all as the most important in the defenses of Savannah. This work was constructed Jay Captain M. B. Grant, of the Engineer Corps, who also had immediate charge of a considerable portion of the work around the city. Fort McAllister, located on the south side of the Ogeechee River at Genesis Point, was an inclosed work, of about one acre, detached and isolated, irregular in form, but compactly built, and adapted to its isolated condition arid surroundings. The armament of this work was heavy, and the gallant and successful defense repeatedly made here against the en emy's ironclads, and at the last against one of Sherman's corps from the land side, have given it a name and place in the history of Savannah's defenses, that is imperishable and preeminently grand. Though a little and insignificant earthwork it was by location and circumstances called upon to act a giant's part On this exterior line there were no other points deserving special notice. The second line constructed was what was known as the interior line of defense. This line was almost semi-circular in contour, and distant from the city on an average of three-fourths of a mile, its left resting at Fort Boggs, next to the rice lands on the Savannah River, its right resting at a point a little south of Laurel Grove Cemetery, and on the low lands of the Springfield Plantation. This line, as the term interior signifies, was to resist any direct assault upon the city should a force succeed in passing the exterior line. This line consisted of detached lunettes at regular intervals, constructed with mutual flank defense, and having sec-

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tors of fire, covering the entire space in front of the line, all growth hav ing been cut away for a half mile in advance. The curtains were not of the same heavy character as the lunettes, but consisted of rifle pits and covered ways for direct communication. Abatis were constructed in front of many of the lunettes. No portion of this line was ever subjected to an attack, and there was nothing to create or give distinction to any special lunettes. There were, however, on this line certain works which should be mentioned, viz : Fort Boggs, on the left of the line, was a bastioned work, inclosed (commonly known as a Star Fort), about an acre and a half in area. It was situated on the bluff, in a commanding position, and would have proved a very strong and important work had it been attacked. Fort Brown, near the Catholic Cemetery, was a point of some im portance on this line, more, however, from its early location and con struction than any special merit • The bombardment and capture of Port Royal in November of 1861 occasioned great alarm in Savannah as it was feared that the large Fed eral fleet employed there would next attack the city, yet the people did not despair of successfully combating the enemy. But with the Federals intrenched in Port Royal it was deemed impracticable with the resources at command to defend all the outlying islands of the Georgia coast. Among others Tybee Island was evacuated and Fort Pulaski became the outwork of the line of defense. About this time Colonel Mercer was promoted to a brigadier-generalship and the following changes were made in the field officers of the First Regiment: Major Charles H. Olmstead was made colonel, W. S. Rockwell retained the lieutenant-col onelcy, and Captain John Foley, of the Irish Jasper Greens, was promoted major, H. M. Hopkins was appointed in place of Edward Lawton pro moted. General Robert E. Lee, then commanding the military district of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida arrived in Savannah on the nth of November, 1861, and remained until the February following. During his stay he visited Fort Pulaski and gave'minute instructions for protect ing the garrison from the fire of shells from Tybee Island. At this time rifled cannon of large caliber had not been tested and their penetrative power was of course unknown, and even General Lee did not think the

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.wails of Fort Pulaski could be broken at the distance the Federals were stationed, saying one day to'Colonel Olmstead, while looking at the near est point on Tybee Island occupied by the Federals, some 1700 yards distant, " Colonel, they will make it pretty hot for you here with shells, but they cannot breach your walls at that distance." "The garrison," says Colonel Olmstead in the article previously quoted from, " went vigorously to work to carry out the orders of Gen. eral Lee. Pitts and trenches were dug on the parade to catch rolling shells, huge traverses were built between the guns en barbette, and all the casemate doors in the entire circuit of the fort were protected by heavy blindages of ranging timber." "In the month of January, 1862, there were signs of great activity among the enemy, who succeeded in establishing a battery upon the banks of the Savannah upon the north, between the fort and the city, and also in commanding the channel of the river on the south by gunboats from Wilmington River and St Augustine Creek. After this but one expedition from the city reached the fort Commodore Tattnal], with his little fleet of river steamers, fought his way down bringing two barge loads of provisions for the garrison, and then fought his way back again in the style that came so naturally to that single-hearted brave old gen tleman. From that time the isolation of the fort was complete. "The garrison thus invested consisted of about four hundred men and officers, comprising1 the German Volunteers, Captain Stegin; Oglethorpe Light Infantry (Company B), Captain Sims ; Washington Volunteers, Captain McMahon; Montgomery Guards, Captain Guilmartin, of the First Volunteer Regiment of Georgia; and the Wise Guards, Captain McMullen. "This latter command was from the vicinity of Oglethorpe, Ga. They were unused to heavy artillery service, but when it became apparent that the fort would be attacked and needed reinforcements, they had volunteered to come to our aid. Captain McMullen was just such a man as might have been expected to perform such an action, and he was well seconded by his Lieutenants Montfort, Blow and Sutton. The memory of this service should be treasured by the First Regiment All during the months of February and March the isolation of the fort continued, and during these months it was made plain that the enemy were hard at

THE WAR PERIOD.
work behind the ridge of sand hills that border the shore of Tybee Is land. There was no sign of working parties during the day time, but at night a faint hum would come across the waters of the south channel nearly a mile away, telling of activity and preparation." Early in April the Federals had erected eleven sand batteries upon Tybee Island, these batteries distributed along a front of 2,550 yards, mounted by thirty-six heavy guns—ten heavy rifle cannon among them —and a number of mortars. These guns were well protected. The farthest was 3,400, and the nearest 1,650 yards from the fort Early on the morning of the loth of April General David Hunter, commanding the besieging force, sent, under a flag of truce, an order " for the immediate surrender of Fort Fulaski to the authority and pos session of the United States." to which Colonel Charles H. Olmstead, commandant of the fort, sent the following laconic and brave response :
"HEADQUARTERS, FORT PULASKI, April IO, 1862. " Major-General David Hunter, Commanding on Tybee Island:

"SIR,—I have to acknowledge receipt of your communication of this date, demanding the unconditional surrender of Fort Pulaski. " In reply I can only say that I am here to defend not to surrender it "Your obedient servant, " CHARLES H. OLMSTEAD. " Colonel First Volunteer Regiment of Georgia Commanding Post." " Upon the receipt of this reply by the Federal commander, orders were immediately issued for the commencement of the bombardment The first shell was fired from Battery Halleck at a quarter past eight o'clock, and soon all the Federal batteries, including Stanton, Grant, Lyon, Lincoln, Burnside, Sherman, Scott, Sigel, McClellan and Totten, were en gaged. " The garrison," says Colonel Olmstead in an admirable account of the bombardment, ",went to their work with enthusiasm, and in a few minutes the roar of artillery, the screaming of shot and bursting of shells made hideous thVt lovely April morning. All day long the firing con tinued with damage to the fort that was painfully apparent to its defend ers. Indeed it was noticed early in the morning that one rifle shot strik ing the wall under an embrasure while still intact, had bulged the bricks inward in the interior. A sample of the power of the new projectile that • we were unprepared for.

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"A few men were wounded, but, thanks to the labor that had been be stowed upon the defenses and shelters, they were very few. At night fall the firing slackened and opportunity was had for examining into the injury received by the fort. It was appalling, nearly all of the barbette, guns and mortars bearing upon the position of the enemy had been dis mounted, and the traverse badly torn, many of the" casemate guns were in a similar plight and the line of officer's quarters and kitchen were ' ~*W wrecked, but most serious of all was the condition of the southeast angle of the fort. "There the fire of the enemy had been concentrated with a view to making a breach, and it needed but one look to convince that an hour or two longer of such pounding would most certainly accomplish what was intended. The whole outer surface of the wall had been battered away and nearly filled the moat, and what was left standing between the piers of three casemates was shaken and trembling. The danger of the posi tion was that this wall once down the same projectiles that had done the mischief there would have free sweep across the parade against the wall of the main service magazine on the opposite angle of the fort. During the night the firing continued at short intervals, and in the early morning was commenced with great rapidity again. " One by one the guns of the fort were disabled, until there were only two or three that could be brought to bear at all upon the batteries that were doing us most injury. The walls of the injured casemates were soon shot away entirely, and now solid shot and shell were pounding up on the traverses that protected the entrance to the magazine. About two o'clock in the day an officer reported that a shell had penetrated through the traverse and exploded in the alley-way of the magazine. " Then it appeared to the commanding officer that longer resistance would be useless, and the signal of surrender was given. " General Gillmore came to treat for the surrender, and the following terms wepe agreed upon : "ARTICLE i. The fort, armament and-garrison to be surrendered at once to the forces of the United States " ARTICLE 2. The officers and men of the garrison to be allowed to take with them all their private effects, such as clothing, bedding, books, etc. This not to include private weapons.

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"ARTICLE 3. The sick and wounded under charge of the hospital steward of the garrison to be sent up under a flag of truce to the Con federate lines; and, at the same time the men to be allowed to send up any letters they may desire, subject to the inspection of a Federal officer. "Signed the eleventh day of April, 1862, at Fort Pulaski, Cockspur CHARLES H. OLMSTEAD, Island, Ga. " Col. First Vol. Reg't of Ga. Comd'g Fort Pulaski. " Q. A. GlLLMORE, " Brig. Gen. Vols. Comd'g U. S. Forces, Tybee Island.

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".Among the wounded was one of two brothers from Berrien, Ga. He was badly mangled, it was plain that he could not live, and the dis tress of his brother at the prospect of leaving him was pitiful. Adjutant Matthew H. Hopkins had received a wound in the eye, and, in accord ance with the terms of surrender, was entitled to be sent, to Savannah. .With a magnanimity which did not surprise those who knew his true heart, he relinquished his right to release, and chose the lot of a prisoner •. , of war in order that the brothers might not be separated." The garrison surrendered numbered 365 men and 24 officers, and was - * """ composed of the following companies : German Volunteers, Captain John .H. Stegin; Washington Volunteers, Captain John McMahon; WiseGuards, Captain M. J. McMullen; Oglethorpe Light Infantry, Company B, Cap. tain F. W. Sims; Montgomery Guards, Captain L. J. Guilmartin. The following constituted the field and staff officers: Colonel Charles H, Olmstead, commanding post; major, John Foley ; adjutant, M. H. Hopkins; quartermaster, Robert Erwin; commissary, Robert D. Walker ;^ surgeon, J. T. McFarland; sergeant, Major Robert H. Lewis ; ordnance sergeant, Harvey Lewis ; quartermaster's sergeant, William C. Crawford; quarter master's clerk, Edward D. Hopkins; commissary clerk, JE. W. Drummond. The captured garrison was removed by steamer to Port Royal and from thence by the steamer Oriental to Governor's Island, New York. The officers were confined at Columbus and the men in a fort on the same island known as Castle William. In the course of two months the offi cers were sent to the prison on Johnson's Island, near Sandusky, O., and the men to Fort Delaware. In September, 1862, a general exchange of prisoners was effected and the Fort Pulaski officers returned to Savannah.
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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

The conduct of Fort Pulaski's garrison during the trying days of the siege was most heroic, and the people of Savannah, of whom nearly all were natives, have no reason but to feel a justifiable pride in their deeds. Although three thousand shot and shell were thrown into the fort only four were seriously wounded and some fourteen slightly, while the Fed erals had several killed and wounded. On the second day of the bom bardment, when the enemy's fire was hottest, occurred an incident, which for cool and undaunted bravery is especially deserving of mention. The halyards of the fiag of the fort having been cut away by the incessant firing of the enemy, Lieutenant Christopher Hussy, of the Montgomery Guards, and John Latham, of the Washington Volunteers, immediately sprang upon the parapet, exposed to a rain of shot and shell, and seizing the flag carried it to a gun-carriage at the northeastern angle of the fort, where they rigged a temporary staff, from which the flag proudly floated until the surrender. " When," says Colonel Jones in his historical sketch of the Chatham Artillery, " the heroic memories of the momentous strug gle for Confederate independence are garnered up, and the valiant deeds recorded of those who in their persons and acts illustrated the virtues of the truly brave under circumstances of peculiar peril and in the hour of supreme danger freely exposed themselves in defense of the national em blem, let the recollection of this illustrious incident upon the parapet of Fort Pulaski be perpetuated upon the historic page, and the names of these two courageous men be inscribed upon the roll of honor." The reduction of Fort Pulaski and subsequent movements of the Fed erals led to the opinion that Savannah was to be attacked, but after results showed that the feints of the enemy in that direction were only intended to distract the attention of the Confederate military commanders who would thus be led to keep "a large force here while hostile operations were conducted elsewhere. The military authorities in Savannah believ ing the city would be attacked laid plans {o defend it to the last extrem ity, and that their work in this direction met the heartiest approval of the citizens, the following preamble and resolutions adopted by the city coun cil on the 29th of April, 1862, clearly shows : "WHEREAS, A communication has been received from the command ing general stating that he will defend this city to the last extremity, and whereas, the members of the council unanimously approve of the deter mination of the commanding general, therefore be it

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" Resolved, That the council will render all that is in their power to sustain the general and to carry out his laudable determination." The district of Georgia at this time was commanded by BrigadierGeneral A. R. Lawton, but in May following General Lawton was or- i dered with five thousand men to report to General Lee in'Virginia, and shortly after departed. He was succeeded in command of the district by General Hugh W. Mercer, who remained until Lieutenant-General W. J. Hardee assumed command in 1864, a short time prior to the evacua tion of the city. General Mercer was a lineal descendant of the heroic Mercer of Revolutionary memory, who, in the darkest hour of his coun try's hopes, fell mortally wounded while leading the van at the battle of Princeton. Fort McAllister is so inseparably associated with the record of valor ous deeds of Savannah soldiers, that a history of the military operations in connection with the defense of this famous military post is necessary. It is situated about sixteen miles from Savannah, on Genesis Point, on the right bank of the great Ogeechee River, and was among the first of the numerous earthworks constructed for the defense of the city, being in tended as a stronghold from which to dispute a passage up the river. It was first attacked on June 29, 1862, when four gunboats tested the strength of its works and the efficiency of its garrison then composed of the De Kalb Riflemen under the command of Captain A. L. Hartridge. This attack- was unsuccessful, and only two men were wounded. The fort was again made a target of by several vessels on the 2d of No vember of the same year, the Emmett Rifles, Captain George A. Nicoll, being in command of the garrison. This attack was followed by another on the igth of November, when the Republican Blues, under Lieutenant George W. Anderson, assisted the Emmet Rifles in defending the fort. At this time three men of the garrison were wounded. On this occasion the enemy again encountered a repulse which was but a prelude to others more signal. On the morning of the 27th of January, 1863, the Federal ironclad Montauk, accompanied by three gunboats, a mortar schooner and a tug opened fire upon the fort. The Montauk was armed with one fifteen-inch and one eleven-inch Dahlgren gun. For five hours and a half the big guns of the Montauk

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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

hurled their heavy projectiles against the sand parapet of the fort De spite this formidable demonstration, however, the earthworks were com paratively uninjured and none of the garrison was injured. "To this bombardment," says Colonel Jones in the historical sketch of the Chatham Artillery, " remarkable historical interest attaches, because, on this oc casion, a fifteen-inch gun was first used in the effort to reduce a shore battery; and the ability of properly constructed sand parapets to resist the effect of novel projectiles, far supassing in weight and power all others heretofore known, was fairly demonstrated. To the honor of this ; little fort and the praise of its heroic defenders let these facts be recorded and perpetuated." * Not satisfied with the experience of their repeated attacks, the Fed erals, with the Montauk, four gunboats, and a mortar boat again began to bombard the fort early on Sunday morning of February ist of the same year. After a six hours' contest the enemy for the fifth time was com pelled to retire from the contest vanquished and discomforted. During the engagement Major John B. Gallic, commandant of the fort, was struck on the head and instantly killed, and seven others of the garrison were slightly wounded. Upon the death of Major Gallic the command of the fort devolved upon Captain George W. Anderson, who bravely continued the fight This signal victory was made the subject of the fol lowing complimentary order from General Beauregard, commanding the Department of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida: " The thanks of the country are due to this intrepid garrison who have thus shown what brave men may withstand and accomplish despite apparent odds. Fort McAUister will be inscribed on all the flags of all the troops engaged in the defense of the battery." The last naval attack upon Fort Me AUister was made on the 3d .of March, 1863. The enemy appeared early on that day with a formidable fleet consisting of four ironclads, five gunboats, and two mortar schooners. The terrible conflict which followed the commence ment of the engagement was graphically and fully detailed in the Savan • nak Republican of March n, 1863, from which we make the following extract: "About a quarter before nine o'clock the fort opened on the Passaic with a rifled gun, the eight and ten-inch Columbiads following suit, to which the Montauk replied, firing her first gun at nine o'clock.

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She was followed by her associates in quick succession. The fire on both sides was continued for seven hours and a half, during which the enemy fired two hundred and fifty shot and shell at the fort, amounting to about seventy tons of the most formidable missiles ever invented for the de struction of humarvlife. .... The fort fired the first and last shot The enemy's mortar boats kept up a fire all night, and it was evidently their intention to renew the fight the next morning, but finding that the damage done to the fort the day before had been fully repaired, and the garrison fully prepared to resist, declined. . . . . Notwithstanding the heavy fire to which the fort was subjected, .only three men were wounded: Thomas W. Rape, and W. S. Owens of the Emmett Rifles, the first on the knee and the latter in the face; James Mims of Company D, First Georgia Battalion, Sharpshooters, had his leg crushed and "an kle broken by the fall of a piece of timber while remounting a Columbiad after the fight. .... The night previous to the fight Lieu tenant £. A. Ellarbe, of the Hardwick Mounted Rifles; Captain J. L. McAllister, with a detachment consisting of Sergeant Harmon and Pri vates Proctor, Wyatt, Harper, and Cobb, crossed the river and dug a rifle-pit within long rifle range of the rams and awaited the coming fight. During the hottest part of the engagement an officer with glass in hand made his appearance on the deck of the Passaic. A Maynard rifle slug soon went whizzing by his ears, which startled and caused him to right about face, when a second slug, apparently, took effect upon his person, as with both hands he caught hold of the turret for support, and imme diately clambered or was dragged into a port-hole. It is believed that the officer was killed. The display on the Passaic the day following, and the funeral on the Ossabaw the Friday following gave strength to the opinion. As soon as the fatal rifle shot was fired the Passaic turned her guns upon the marsh and literally raked it with grape shot. The ri flemen, however, succeeded in changing their base in time to avoid the missiles of the enemy. Not one of them was hurt Too much credit cannot be bestowed upon the daring act of a few brave men. . . . . Captain George W. Anderson, of the Republican Blues, commanded the fort on this trying occasion, and he and his force received, as they de- ' served, the highest commendation. Captain George A. Nicoll of the \ Emmett Rifles, Captain J. L. McAllister, Lieutenant W. D. Dixon, and

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374

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

Sergeant T. S. Flood (the latter was sick at the hospital when the fight commenced, but left his bed to take part in the fight), Corporal Robert Smith and his squad from the Republican Blues, which worked the rifle gun, Lieutenant Quin of the Blues, Sergeant Frazier, Lieutenant Rock well, and Sergeant Cavanaugh, Captain Robert Martin and detachment of his company, who successfully worked a mortar battery, Captain McCrady, and Captain James McAlpin were entitled to and received a" large share of the honors of the day." This brilliant victory drew from Brigadier-General Mercer, command ing the district of Georgia, a general order complimenting the garrison for their heroic defense, stating that the " brigadier-general command ing again returns his hearty thanks to the brave garrison, and expresses ' the confident hope that this heroic example will be followed by all under bis command. "For eight hours these formidable vessels, throwing fif teen-inch hollow shot and shell, thirteen-inch shell, eleven-inch solid shot, and eight-inch rifle projectiles—a combination of formidable mis siles never before concentrated upon a single battery—hurled an iron hail upon the fort; but the brave gunners, with the cool efficient spirit of disciplined soldiers^ and with the intrepid hearts of freemen battling for a just cause, stood undaunted at their posts, and proved to the world that the most formidable vessels and guns that modern ingenuity has been able to produce are powerless against an earthwork manned by patriots to whom honor and liberty are dearer than life. ..... As a testimonial to the brave garrison, the commanding general will b$ solicited to direct that ' Fort McAllister, March 3, 1863,' be inscribed upon their flags." This request General Beauregard complied with in a general order, stating that he "had again a pleasant duty to discharge— to commend to the notice of the country and the emulation of his officers / and men the intrepid conduct of the garrison of Fort McAllister, and the skill of the officers engaged on the 3d of March, 1863." ^ This was the last naval attack upon this battery. So far it had / proved itself an overmatch for all that had been sent against it. Seveh ' times had the Federals been repbls«d before its Bermuda covered para pets. After the engagement of the jd of March the fort was consider ably strengthened, especially its rear defenses, and its armament increased by the addition of some heavy and light guns. Late in 1864 i*5 battery
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consisted of one ten-inch mortar, three ten-inch Columbiads, one eightinch Columbiad, one forty-two-pounder gun, one thirty-two-pounder gun, rifled, four thirty-two pounder guns, smooth bore, one twenty-fourpounder howitzer, two twelve-pounder mountain howitzers, two twelvepounder Napoleon guns, and six six-pounder bronze field guns. The fort was finely equipped to resist a naval attack and to defend the Great Ogeechee River. It was never intended to resist a serious or protracted land attack. The destructive march of General Sherman's army from Atlanta to the defenses of Savannah occupied the time from the middle of Novem ber until the early part of December, 1864. The merits of this military movement it is not our purpose to discuss. That the methods employed in this predatory march were in many instances unnecessary and cruel the conservative military leaders of the world have long ago admitted. That the objective point of General Sherman's expedition was Savannah was fully realized by the people of this city early in his campaign. Every effort was made to guard the city from attack. The patriotism of the people was fully aroused, and they freely responded to the following spirited address of the mayor :

\

" MAYOR'S OFFICE, > "SAVANNAH, November 28, 1864. )

" FELLOW CITIZENS,—The time has come when every male who can shoulder a musket can make himself useful in defending our hearths and homes. Our city is well fortified, and the old can fight in the trenches as well as the young; and a determined and brave force can, behind en trenchment, successfully repel the assaults of treble their number. «'The general commanding this division has issued a call for all men of every age, not absolutely incapacitated from disease, to report at once to Captain C. W. Howard at the Oglethorpe Barracks, for the purpose of organizing into companies for home defense. I call upon every man not already enrolled into a local corps to come forward at once and report to Captain Howard. Organization is everything. Let us emulate the noble example of our sister cities of Macon and Augusta, where* the whole male population is in arms. By manning the fortifications we will leave free the younger men to act in the field. By prompt action a large local force can be organized from our citizens above the military age, and from those who have been exempted from field service.

376

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

r

" No time is to be lost The man who will not comprehend and re<spond to the emergency of the times is foresworn to his duty and to his country. * R. D. ARNOLD, Mayor." On the loth of December, 1864, Sherman's army enveloped'the westera and southern lines of the defenses of the city, and with this date the his tory of the siege of Savannah properly commences. Although every ef fort had been made to concentrate a large force for the defense of Savannah, such was the pressure upon the Confederacy and so reduced the troops that at the inception and during the siege there were not more than ten thousand men fit for duty in the Confederate lines around the city, and against 4his small number was brought to bear the Federal army consist ing of some sixty thousand infantjgr, fifty-five hundred cavalry and a full proportion of artillery. This large force completely enveloped the west ern lines erected for the defense of the city, extending from the Savannah River at Williamson's plantation to the bridge of the Atlantic and Gulf Railroad across Little Ogeechce. The Confederate line, according to Colonel Jones in his "Siege of Savannah," was subdivided and commanded as follows: "The right, extending from the Savannah River at Williamson's plantation to within about one hundred feet of the Central Railroad crossing, garrisoned by the Georgia militia and the State line troops, was under the command of Major-General Gustavus W. Smith. Twenty guns were in position on his front " The batteries at the Central Railroad and Louisville Road crossings, and extending from that point to the head of Shaw's dam, were com manded by Major-General Lafayette McLaws. Twenty-nine pieces of artillery were posted on his front ' "Lieutenant-General William J. Hardee was in general command with his headquarters in the city of Savannah. For holding this long line less than ten thousand infantry, dismounted cavalry, and artillerists were assembled; and for the space of ten days this little more than a thin skirmish line confronted, at close (Quarters, Sherman's investing army over sixty thousand strong. "The light artillery companies were distributed as the necessities of the line" demanded, and were either actively engaged in handling the guns in position, or were posted at such convenient distances in the rear that they could move immediately to any designated point in their respective fronts. Only two of them were held in reserve park.

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THE WAR PERIOD.

377

" Lieutenant-Colonel Charles C. Jones, jr., was chief of artillery. " On Major-General Smith's front Captain R. W. Anderson acted as : chief of artillery of that division. Captain J. A. Maxwell was detailed as chief of artillery on Major-General McLaws' front, and Captain John W. Brooks acted in' a similar capacity in Major-General Wright's divi sion. . " "By assignment of the general commanding, Major Black of his staff was designated as inspector on Major- General Smith's front; Colonel George A. Gordon, volunteer aid, inspector on Major-General McLaws' front; and Lieutenant-Colonel S. B. Paul, of the lieutenant-general's -staff, inspector on Major-General Wright's front" So judiciously was-the strength of the Confederate fine located that the Federals failed to attack it, and with the purpose of securing an out- r let to the sea' by an avenue other than the Savannah River, General Sherman turned his attention to Fort McAllister, which, if it could be captured, opened up communication with an expectant fleet. The fort at this time was in command of Major George W, Anderson, the garrison consisting of the Emmett Rifles, Captain George A. Nicoll; Clinch Light Battery, Captain W. B. Clinch; Companies D and E., First Georgia Reserves, the first company commanded by Captain Henry, and the second by Captain Morrison. The whole force of the garrison was about one hundred and fifty men. Against this small body of men in an absolutely isolated condition and without the least possible chance of support or relief from any quar ter, the Second Division of the Fifteenth Army Corps of the Federal army, consisting of seventeen regiments, under the command of Brigadier-Gen eral Hazen, was sent by order of General Sherman on December 13, 1864. General Hazen advanced at once to the assault, moving with his whole force against the fort and in a short time effected its capture with a loss to his command of one hundred and thirty-four officers and men Icilled and wounded. Major Anderson who was in command of the fort furnished a graphic account of this assault to Colonel C. C. Jones, jr., for publication in his " Historical Sketch of the Chatham Artillery," from • which we take the following: "About eight o'clock A.M. [December 13,1864,] desultory firing _commenced between the skirmishers of the enemy and my sharpshooters.

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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

37*

At ten o'clock the fight became general, the opposing forces extending from the river entirely around to the marsh on the east , . . Re ceiving from headquarters neither orders nor responses to my telegraphic dispatches I determined, under the circumstances, and notwithstanding the great disparity of numbers, between the garrison and attacking forces, to defend the fort to the last extremity. The guns being en barbette, the detachment serving them were greatly exposed to the fire of the enemy's sharpshooters. To such an extent was this the case that in one instance, out of a detachment of eight men, three were killed, and three more wounded. The Federal skirmish line was very heavy and the fire so close and rapid that it was at times impossible to work the guns. My sharp shooters did all in their power, but were entirely too few to suppress this galling fire upon the artillerists. In view of the large force of the enemy —consisting of nine regiments, whose aggregate strength was estimated between 3,500 and 4,000 muskets, and possessing the ability to increase it at any time should it become necessary—and recollecting the feebleness of the garrison of the fort, numbering 150 effective men, it was evident, cut off from all support, and with no possible hope of reinforcement, from any quarter, that holding the fort was simply a question of time. There was but one alternative—death or captivity. "Late in the afternoon the full force of the enemy made a rapid and vigorous charge upon the works, and succeeding In forcing their way through the abatis, rushed over the parapet of the fort carrying it by storm, and by virtue of superior numbers, overpowered the garrison, f%hting gallantly to the last In many instances the Confederates were disarmed-by main force. The fort was never surrendered. It was cap . • tured by overwhelming numbers. " I am pleased to state that in my endeavors to hold the fort, I was nobly seconded by the great majority of officers and men under my com mand. Many of them had never been under fire before, and quite a number were very young, in fact ttiere boys. Where so many acted gallantly it would be invidious to discriminate, but I cannot avoid men tioning those who came more particularly under my notice. I would therefore most respectfully call the attention of the general commanding to the gallant conduct of Captain Clinch, who when summoned to sur render by a Federal captain responded by dealing him a blow on the

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head with his sabre (Captain Clinch had previously received two gun shot wounds in the arm) immediately a hand to hand fight ensued. Federal privates came to the assistance of their officer, but the fearless Clinch continued the unequal contest until he feli bleeding frem eleven wounds (three sabre wounds, six bayonet wounds and two gun-shot wounds), from which after severe and protracted suffering he has barely recovered His conduct was so conspicuous, and his cool bravery so much admired, as to elicit the praise of the enemy and even of General Sherman himself. " First Lieutenant William Schirm fought his gun until the enemy had catered the fort, and. notwithstanding a wound in the head, gallantly remained at his post discharging his duties with a coolness and efficiency worthy of all commendation. " Lieutenant O'Neal. whom I placed in command of the scouting party before mentioned, while in the discharge of that duty and in his subse quent conduct during the attack, merited the honor due to a faithful and gallant oficer. " Among these who nobly fell was the gallant Hazzard, whose zeal and activity was worthy of all praise. He died as a true soldier to his post, facing overwhelming odds. The garrison lost seventeen lolled and thirty-one wounded." Speaking of the gallant fight of these Confederate heroes in their de fense of Fort McAllister, Colonel Jones in his " Siege of Savannah/' Justly says: "Among the golden deeds wrought by Confederates in their gigantic struggle for jight, property, home, and national independence, the defense of Fort McAllister against seven naval attacks and their final assault will be proudly reckoned. The heroic memories of this earth work will be cherished long alter its parapets shall have been wasted into nothingness by the winds and rains of the changing seasons. Utterly isolated, cut off from att possible relief—capture or death the only alter native—the conduct of this little garrison in the face of such tremendous odds, wtas gallant in die extreme." After the fell of Fort McAllister the Federals had full command of the Great Qgeeohee River, and General Sherman was enabled to establish -a convenient base of snfplies for his army. Retnforcements could be had and heavy guns could be procured with which to prosecute the siege of
» ^9 ^& w

)

•J

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.
Savannah. That the Confederates could much longer hold the town was impossible and the early evacuation of the city became a necessity. The only line of retreat now open to the Confederates was by boats to Screven's ferry landing, and thence into South Carolina. All hope of success fully coping with the enemy was rightly abandoned by General Hardee and he concluded to evacuate the city and thus save his command to the Confederacy. Orders were issued for the immediate construction of suitable pontoen bridges. The line of retreat selected by the engineers involved the location of a pontoon bridge extending from the foot of West Broad street to Hutchinson Island, a distance of about one thousand feet, a roadway across that island in the direction of Pennyworth Island, a second pon toon bridge across the Middle River, another roadway across Penny worth Island, and a third pontoon bridge across Back River, the further end of which rested on the Carolina shore. The work of building the bridges and constructing the roads was placed in charge of Lieutenant-Colonel Frobel. On the evening of the l/th of December the first of the bridges was completed, and by halfpast eight on Monday the ipth following the remaining bridges were completed and the route in readiness for the retreat of the Confederate garrison. In the meantime, on the i/th of December, General Sherman de manded the surrender of Savannah and its dependent forts. This demand was addressed to General Hardee and conveyed to the latter officer under a flag of truce. In his letter General Sherman said: " I have already received guns that can cast heavy and destructive shot as far as the heart of yourtrity, also I have for some days held and controlled every avenue by which the people and garrison of Savannah can be supplied, and I am therefore justified in demanding the surrender of the city of Savannah and its dependent forts, and shall await a reasonable time your answer before opening with heavy ordnance*." To this demand General Hardee in part replied: " Your statement that you have for some time held and controlled every avenue by which the people and garrison can be sup plied is incorrect; I am in free and constant communication with my de partment. Your demand for the surrender of Savannah and its depen dent forts is refused."

THE WAR PERIOD.
Notwithstanding the defiant attitude of General Hardee and the ap parent attitude of the Confederate forces to continue in the defense of the city, the work for preparing the way of retreat went steadily on. To deceive the enemy, on the ipth and 2Oth of December the Confederate artillery and infantry fire was heavier than it had been on any other pre vious days. The work of spiking the guns and destroying of ammuni tion was silently and skillfully done, and on the evening of December 20 the evacuation of the city began, and by three o'clock of the following morning the rearguard of the Confederate army had passed over to Hutchinson Island and the evacuation of the city was complete. General Hardee in speaking of the successful retreat of the garrison, remarked the day after the evacuation to Colonel C. C. Jones, jr., chief of artillery during the siege, " that while sadly deploring the loss of the city he was persuaded nothing had been neglected which could have con tributed to the honor of our arms; and that under the circumstances he regarded the safe withdrawal of his army from the lines around Savan nah as one of the most signal and satisfactory exploits in his military ca reer." The intention of General Hardee to evacuate the city with his command was known to the civil authorities of the city, and on the night of December 20, when the troops had begun their successful retreat, Dr. R. D. Arnold, mayor of Savannah, and Aldermen Henry Brigham, j. F. O'Byrne, C. C. Casey, Henry Freeman, Robert Lachlison, Joseph Lippman, J. L. Villalonga and George W. Wylly met in the Exchange and resolved that the council should repair to the outer defenses of the city before daylight to surrender the city and secure such terms as would se cure protection to the persons and property of the citizens. The history of events which closely followed this meeting is admirably told in Lee and Agnew's "Historical Record of Savannah," from which the following ac/ , . count is taken: , " The council dispersed to assemble at the Exchange at a later hour where hacks would await to convey the members to the outer works. As they came out of the Exchange a fire was observed in the western part of the city, and by request Messrs. Casey, O'Byrne and Lachlison went to it with a view of taking measures for its suppression. The fire was caused by the burning of a nearly completed ironclad and a lot of

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.
timber near the mouth of the Ogeechee Canal which had* been fired by the retreating troops. The wind was blowing to the west, and after ob serving that no danger to the city need be apprehended from the flames, these .gentlemen returned to the Exchange where the other members of the council had assembled and were in a hack prepared to start. They stated that other hacks had been! provided, but General Wheeler's cav-^ airy had pressed the horses into service. Mr. O'Byrne procured his horse and buggy and conveyed Mr. Casey to the junction of the Louis ville road with the Augusta road—about half a mile beyond the Central Railroad depot—and leaving him there returned for Mr. Lachlison who had walked in that direction. The party in the hack, meanwhile, had come up to Mr. Casey, and taking him up drove up the Louisville road. Mr. O'Byrne met Mr. Lachlison, and with him returned to where Mr. Casey ^iad been left, but not finding any of the party there concluded they had gone up the Augusta road, and proceeded up it, hoping to overtake them. They advanced but a short distance when they heard the report of \ gun and a minnie-ball whistled between them. They halted, and were then ordered by the picket to turn around, (they had unawares passed the enemy's picket and had, not heard the command to halt), and come to them. They did as commanded, and after informing the officer of the picket who they were, were conducted to Colonel Barnum to whom they stated the object of their mission. He then con ducted them to General John W. Geary. They told him that the city had been evacuated, and that they, having started with the mayor and council to surrender it; but becoming separated from them, would assume the authority of consummating a surrender. : General Geary at first did not believe them, and questioned them very closely. After becoming satisfied that they were what they assumed to be, he consented to receive the surrender. The aldermen then asked that the lives and property of •; the citizens should be respected and the ladies protected from insult ' General Geary promptly replied that the requests should be complied with, and that any soldier detected violating the orders which would be given to restrain them should be punished with death. Messrs. Lachli son and O'Byrne then asked that a detachment should be sent to look after the mayor and other aldermen, which was granted. General Geary then put his troops in motion and with Messrs. Lachlison and O'Byrne

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acting as guides, advanced toward the city. At the Central Railroad bridge they were met by the mayor and aldermen who had been over taken by the detachment sent for them and returned with it. They, on being introduced to the general and told what had been done by Messrs. Q'Byrne and Lachlison, confirmed their action. The line of march was then taken up to West Broad street, down to the Bay, and thence to the Exchange, in front of which the troops were drawn up. The officers and members of the council proceeded to the porch, from which General Geary addressed the troops, complimenting them upon their past deeds . and upon the additional honor they had conferred upon themselves by capturing ' this beautiful city of the South.' During this speech. Colonel Barnum observed a sergeant step out of the ranks to the store at the corner of Bull and Bay street, enter and come out wearing a fireman's hat On coming down from the porch he called the sergeant to him, and drawing his sword ordered him to hold out the hat, which he did, and the colonel with one stroke of his sword cut it in half. He then stripped the chevrons from the sergeant's arms and reduced him to the ranks. ••._ " After the speech the troops were dispersed in squads throughout the city, and, notwithstanding the strict orders they had received, com mitted many depredations, among them the wanton destruction of valu able books and papers in the Exchange and court-house belonging to the city and county. General Geary established his headquarters in the Cen- j tral Railroad Bank, and his subordinate officers in the various unoccupied stores along the bay. On the 24th of December he issued an order re garding the posts and duty of the provost guards, and instructing the civil authorities to resume their official duties." General W. T. Sherman arrived in Savannah on the 2|>th, and after telegraphing President Lincoln he would present him Savannah as a " Christmas gift," he issued the following order from his headquarters at the Green mansion opposite Oglethorpe Barracks:
"HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, ^ "In the field, Savannah, Ga., December 26, 1864. >

"SPECIAL FIELD ORDER, "No. 143.
" The city of Savannah and surrounding country will be held as a mil itary post and adapted to future military uses, but as it contains a popu-

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.
lation of some 20,000 people who must be provided for, and another cit izens may come, it is proper to lay down certain general principles, that all within' its military jurisdiction may understand their relative duties and obligations. "I. During war the military is superior to civil authority, and where interests clash the civil must give way, yet where there is no conflict every encouragement should be given to well disposed and peaceful in habitants to resume their usual pursuits. Families should be disturbed as little as possible in their residences, and tradesmen allowed the free use of their shops, tools, etc. Churches, schools, all places of amusement and recreation should be encouraged and streets and roads made per fectly safe to persons in their usual pursuits. Passes should not be ex acted within the lines of other pickets, but if any person should abuse these privileges by communicating with the enemy or doing any act of hostility to the government of the United States, he or she will be pun ished with the utmost rigor of the law. " Commerce with the outer world will be resumed to an extent com mensurate with the wants of the citizens, governed by the restriction and rules of the treasury department. "II. The chief quartermaster and commissary of the army may give suitable employment to the people, white or black, or transport them to such points as they choose, where employment may be had, and may ex tend temporary relief in the way of provisions and vacant houses to the worthy and needy until such time as they can help themselves. They will select first, the buildings for the necessary uses of the army; next a suffi cient number of stores to be turned over to the treasury agent, for trade stores All vacant storehouses or dwellings and all buildings belong ing to absent rebels will be construed and used as belonging to the United States until such times as their titles can be settled by the courts of the United States. "III. The mayor and city council of Savannah will continue to exericise their functions as such and will, in concdrt with the commanding of ficer of the post and the chief quartermaster, see that the fire companies are kept in organization, the streets cleaned and lighted, and keep up a good understanding between the citizens and soldiers. They will ascer tain and report to the chief C. S., as soon as possible, the names and mem bers of worthy families that need assistance and support

THE WAR

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"The mayor will forthwith give public notice that the time has come when all must choose their course, viz.: to remain within our lines and conduct themselves as good citizens or depart in peace. He will ascer tain the names of all who choose to leave Savannah, and report their names and residences to the chief quartermaster that measures may be taken to transport them beyond the lines. " IV. Not more than two newspapers will be published in Savannah, and their editors and proprietors will be held to the strictest accountabil ity, and will be punished severely in person and property for any libelous publications, mischievous matter, premature news, exaggerated state ments, or any comments whatever upon the acts of the constituted au thorities; they will be held accountable even for such articles though copied front other papers. "By order of MAJOR-GENERAL W. T. SHERMAN.

" L. M. BRAYTON, Aid-de-camp."
The people of Savannah in a spirit of moderation, and actuated by the most, sincere motives, quietly undertook the work of adapting them selves to the conditions imposed upon them by the fate of war. A meet ing of the citizens was held in the Masonic Hall two days after General Sherman issued his order to "take into consideration matters appertain ing to the present and future welfare of the city, Dr. R. D. Arnold pre sided, and after several conciliatory speeches had been made, the follow ing preamble and resolutions were adopted : "WHEREAS, By the fortunes of war and the surrender of the city by the civil authorities, the city of Savannah passes once more under the au thority of the United States; and whereas, we believe that the interest of the city will be best subserved and promoted by a full and free ex pression of our views in relation to our present conditions; we, there fore, the people of Savannah in full meeting assembled do hereby resolve: "That we accept the position, and in the language of the President of the United States, seek to have 'peace by laying down our arms and submitting to the national authority under the Constitution, leaving all questions which remain to be adjusted by the peaceful means of legisla tion, conference and votes.' " Resolved, That laying aside all differences, and burying by-gones

386

HISTORY OF SAVANNAS.

in the grave of the past, we will use our best endeavors once more to bring back the prosperity and commerce we once enjoyed. " Resolved, That we do not put ourselves in the position of a con/ quered city, asking terms of a conqueror, but we claim the immunities and privileges contained in the Proclamation and Message of the Presi dent of the United States, and in all the legislation of Congress in refer ence to a people situated as we are, and while we owe on our part a strict obedience to the laws of the United States, we ask the protection over our persons, lives and property recognized by these laws."
Soon after the Federal troops had arrived in Savannah they threw up intrenchments to resist any attempts that might be made by the Con federates to recapture the city. Intrenchments were also thrown up on the Thunderbolt road upon which guns were mounted, bearing upon the city, being intended as a rallying point if they should be driven from the other intrenchments. In building the latter line, they ran their works -through the Catholic Cemetery, tearing up the ground and in many cases mutilating or covering up the monuments and tablets erected over the dead. In some instances it was claimed bones were dug up, and left scattered about. The officers who authorized the work, when remon strated with, claimed the work was necessary and excused their inhu manity on the ground of "military necessity." The confiscation of the cotton which was stored in Savannah was the I most severe financial blow suffered by the city during its occupancy by the Federals. At the time the city was evacuated there were 30,500 bales of upland and over 8,000 bales of'Sea Island cotton stored in the warehouses^ only 1,000 bales it is claimed belonging to the Confederate States government The United States quartermaster seized all of this cotton and shipped it to New York where upland cotton at this time com1 manded $1.25 per pound and Sea Island $3 per pound, making the to tal value of the seized cotton about $28,000,000. While the people were suffering all the annoyances and hardships in cident to military rule they were called upon to bear a calamity which at one time threatened, to destroy the entire city. This was the fire of the 2/th of January, 1865, which destroyed over one hundred buildings. It * commenced in a stable in the rear of old "Granite Hall" and it was claimed was started by the Federal soldiers. Granite Hall had been used by the

THE WAR PERIOD.
Confederate authorities as an arsenal, and in it on this occasion were stored thousands of rounds of ammunition. Under the direction of a United States officer the citizens and soldiers commenced to remove the ammunition, but before much of it had been removed the fire was com municated to the powder and explosion after explosion followed in rapid succession. Fragments of shells flew in all directions, killing a negro and wounding two or three citizens. " During this novel bombardment," says a local historian, " which put a stop to the working of the engines in the vicinity and allowed the fire full sway, a piece of shell struck the reservoir. A jet of water immediately sprung out, which for novelty and beauty surpassed any fountain, looking in the fiery glare like a sheet ot molten silver." Beforfc the flames were extinguished over one hun- ^ dred houses located on West Broad, between Pine and St. Gaul streets, and a few on Broughton and Congress streets were destroyed. No act of General Sherman's while in Savannah called forth more bitter denunciation than his order requiring the wives and families of Confederate officers to'be sent into Confederate lines. Word was sent privately to the ladies that it was the intention to remove them and that they must register their names by a certain time. All did not comply with this request as is evinced by the following order of Major-General C. Grover then in command of Savannah:

"OFFICE PROVOST MARSHAL, DISTRICT OF SAVANNAH. March 28-1865.
" The wives and families of Confederate officers who have not regis tered their names at this office will do so at once." " By order, BREVET MAJOR-GENERAL C. GROVER^ Commanding. " ROBERT P. YORK, Provost Marshal District of Savannah, Ga." Three days after this order was issued the ladies and children were placed on the steamer Hudson to be carried to Augusta, but when the boat arrived at Sister's Ferry, about sixty-four miles from Savannah, the captain refused to proceed further. Captain Edward C. Anderson, who was stationed at this point, had the ladies and children transferred to the ' shore and transported to'Augusta in wagons, the only means of convey ing them to their destinations. The suffering and exposure they had to endure was, however, of short duration, for shortly after their arrival in

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.
Augusta the armies of Generals Lee and Johnston surrendered and they were soon united at their homes with their lawful protectors. With the end of the war the restrictions which had been placed upon the commerce and business of .Savannah were gradually removed, a civil government was restored, and the people brave and courageous, with no useless regret, took up the work of retrieving their fallen for tunes and restoring the city they loved to its rightful place among the commercial centers of the South. With unhesitating confidence they put the past with all its ruin and blasted hopes behind them, and beginning ' at the very bottom, applied themselves to planting in steady labor, frugal living and self-denial, the shattered foundation of public and individual prosperity. The progress they have made challenges wonder and ad miration. To-day Savannah has no disturbing element; order, industry and thrift are everywhere, while its growth in material wealth, and pop* illation suffers no disparagement in comparison with any Southern city.

CHAPTER XXVII.
HISTORY OF THE MILITARY ORGANIZATIONS OF SAVANNAH.
'<* .

anieven century no American city has had a more brilliant military^history than Savannah. The causes which fostered and de veloped jjhe sentiments which have made the city conspicuous in this rel gard, Colonel C. H. Olmstead admirably explains in his prelude to a his tory of the First Georgia Regiment, published in the Morning News of May 5, 1886, frorfi which we make the following liberal extracts: " From the evenlf il day on which General Oglethorpe landed upon the bluff at Yamacra v until the present time, the city of Savannah has been noted for the vigorous hold of the military ideas upon the minds and hearts of its citizens. Military spirit born of necessity has always

MILITARY ORGANIZATIONS.

3*9

been high; and a belief in the military virtues has been inherited by geriheration after generation, imbibed as it were with mother's milk. " The earliest picture of the city represents a few scattered houses surrounded by a wall of living forest, but upon the left a flag flutters in the breeze and a battery of cannon points over the waters of the river, promising even in that early day a hot welcome to every foe. The col ony was planted upon ground claimed by the Spaniards. Within easy J distance was the strong fortress of St. Augustine, a base from which again and again the land and naval forces of his Majesty Philip the Fifth were' hurled against the little handful of Englishmen. A regiment was one of the first of Oglethorpe's wants, and from the beginning each colonist felt in his inmost soul that the safety of altars and firesides depended upon stout arms and brave hearts. No. wonder that then was born the spirit that has never since died. The war of the Revolution certainly had no. tendency to weaken the sentiment, but rather added fuel to the flame, and to this day the imagination of every native of the old city kindles to a white heat, as he recalls the rush of Pulaski's Legion and the fall of that gallant chieftain, the desperate assault upon Spring Hill redoubt by the allied forces, and the death of Jasper. We mourn over the fortunes of that fatal day as though it had been yesterday, and how our hearts rejoice as we think of the glorious morn when the British ships sailed away never to return save as the ' white winged messengers of peace.' and the ' Ragged Continentals' once more marched in to enjoy their own again. " These events were talked of at the fireside by old men and women, even as late as forty years ago. As little children they had witnessed them, and the story was handed down from one to another, ever excit ing a generous ardor in noble souls to prepare for the day when their manhood, too, might be put to the crucial test, their courage and selfdenial tried as by fire. What Savannahian who ever saw him, can forget the venerable figure of Sheftall Sheftall, that old soldier of the Revolu tion, pacing back and forth in the quaint old uniform in which he had fought for liberty, and who can tell what influences his simple life in the community may have had in moulding military thought and desire ? "The War of 1812 found Savannah still an outpost. The proximity, of Britain's great naval stations in the West Indies, kept our people keenly

390

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

on the alert to repel invasion. Florida was still a dangerous neighbor, and so once again the maps of the city show the homes of its inhabitants guarded by cannon. From the river on the east around to the river on .'the west we see a line of strong redoubts and salients, telling the story of a people ready to defend themselves, a people who had added to nat ural bravery the skill and military-capacity which belong only to those who study the arts of war in the piping times of peace. "The legitimate outgrowth of this gallant spirit was the banding to gether of the young men of Savannah as volunteer soldiery. Scarcely had the echoes of the Revolution died away, when the ' Dextrous Com« pany of Artillery' was formed—that splendid organization whose guns pealed forth a welcome to Washington and thundered a mournful fare well over the grave of Greene. . . . Other companies were formed in quick succession, each doing its full share in fostering the manly vir tues received of their fathers, and in transmitting to their successors the traditions of a glorious past" The Chatham Artillery, the oldest artillery organization in the State •*• of Georgia, was organized on May I, 1786, mainly through the efforts of Edwin Lloyd, a Revolutionary soldier, who was elected the first captain of the company. The first public service rendered by the battery was performed in association with other companies of the regiment of the Chatham county militia, and other troops from Beaufort district, in the State of South Carolina in attacking and dispersing on May 6, 1786, a camp of runaway negroes, who, styling themselves the King of England's soldiers, had fixed their lawless homes on Bear Creek, in Effingham county. The first funeral honors paid by the corps were rendered upon Ac occasion of the burial of Major-General Nathanael Greene on June 20, 1786. , .. • During the visit of General Washington to Savannah in May, 1791, f he was constantly attended by the Chatham Artillery, then under the command of Captain Elf, the second captain of the battery. GeneVal Washington after his visit presented to the battery two of the guns taken at Yorktowrv, which are still in their possession and cherished with* much pride. " The third commander of the battery was Josiah Tattnall, the ^father of Commodore Tattnall, a man upon whom was bestowed the highest civil and military honors within the gift of the State of Georgia.

I

MILITARY ORGANIZATIONS.
James Robinson was the fourth captain of the Chatham Artillery, being elected in July, 1794. The battery under his command participated in the Creek Indian disturbance along the southern coast of Georgia. Ben jamin Wall succeeded Captain Robinson as commander of the battery. Captain Wall was followed by Richard Montgomery Stiles. Under the command of Captain Robert McKay, the Chatham Artillery as a part of the First Regiment of the Georgia militia, entered the service of the United States in the War of 1812, and for a time formed a part of the garrison at Fort Jackson, besides being actively engaged in the construc tion of earth-works for the immediate protection of Savannah. The eighth captain of the Chatham Artillery was Colonel William T. Will iams who was elected in 1816, and continued as captain until his election in 1824 as major of the First Regiment. Colonel Williams was several times elected mayor of Savannah, and was a man of the highest integrity of character. During the command of Captain Blois, who succeeded Colonel Will iams, the city of Savannah was honored by a visit from General Lafay ette, upon which occasion the Chathams extended military honor to the 'friend of Washington. On February 2, 1826, Charles M. King was elected the tenth captain of the Chatham artillery, and for a period of six years he remained in ac* tive command. He was followed as captain by Charles Stephens, an of ficer of the regular army who had seen much service in the southwest under General Jackson. It was under his command that the Chatham artillery tendered its services to the governor of the State when the Uni ted States became involved in the war with Mexico. They were not ac cepted because their services were not required. For seventeen years the command of the company was retained by Captain Stephens. He was succeeded by Captain John B. Gallic, who during the civil war, while in command at Fort McAllister, with the rank of major, was killed on February I, 1863. I* was during the captaincy of Major Gallic that the company assisted in celebrating the centennial anniversary of the settle- 1 ment of Liberty county in 1853, on which occasion the Chatham Artil lery, Republican Blues and the Savannah Guards formed a military or ganization known as the Washington Legion. John £. Ward succeeded Major Gallic as captain. In 1858 Joseph }

I

39*

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

S. Claghorn became the fourteenth commander of the company, Undei* the captaincy of the latter the battery was mustered into the service of the Confederate States on July 31, 1861. as a part of the First Volunteer Regiment of Georgia, the commissioned officers being Jasper S. Clag horn. captain ; Charles C. Jones, jr., senior first lieutenant; Julian Hartridge, junior first lieutenant; William H. Davidson, senior second lieu tenant, and Bernardino S. Sanchez, junior second lieutenant On May I preceding their being mustered into service, the seventyfifth anniversary of the corps was celebrated with most interesting cere monies, on which occasion an oration commemorative of its history from Its earliest organization was pronounced by the senior first lieutenant, Charles C Jones, jr. On October 14, 1862, Lieutenant Jones was pro moted and commissioned as lieutenant-colonel of artillery, and by Briga dier-General Mercer was ordered to the command of the light batteries in the military district of Georgia, in which capacity he continued to ren der most efficient service until the war closed. The remaining war rec ord of the corps we have, with pnly slight changes, taken from the ad dress of Hon. John E. Ward, delivered at the centennial anniversary ex ercises of the company, held in Savannah in May, 1886. Under Captain Claghorn the company entered the Confederate ser vice with over one hundred and twenty men, with horses, drivers and cannoneer, and as a thoroughly drilled and mounted battery. On De cember 24, 1861, a Blakely gun, throwing a conical projectile of nearly twelve pounds in weight, which had been brought through the blockade, was assigned to this battery by Brigadier-General Lawton, as a special mark of the esteem in which the battery was held by him. and as a re ward for the proficiency and skill which it had. already attained. For many months it continued in their possession, and was used by them in the battle of Secessionville. When the armament of the battery was changed, it passed out of the hands of the company, and was abandoned by Wagner's German artillery upon the retreat from Bryan county, when at the close of the war it was retiring within the Confederate lines on the old Darien road, upon the advance of Sherman's army. The first hostile guns were heard in the encampments of the battery on October 30, 1861. On that day launches from a blockading vessel attempted to set fire to a schooner which had stranded near the Confed-

f.

MILITARY 'ORGANIZATIONS.

393

crate battery on the north point of Warsaw Island. This battery was at the time garrisoned by the Republican Blues of Savannah, and opened fire upon the launches, which resulted in an engagement which was ter minated by the withdrawal of the Federals without accomplishing their purpose. This was the first passage of arms on the coast of Georgia. Immediately after the battle of Seven Pines, General Lawton, who from the first moment when, as colonel of the State regiment under the order of Governor Brown, he had occupied Fort Pulaski, had with ability and patriotism devoted his entire time and all his energies to the defense of Georgia, received an order to prepare five thousand men to move on to Richmond at the shortest notice. His prompt reply was: " My men,' to the number designated, are ready to march at once, and I earnestly request that I may be ordered to Virginia with them." This request was granted, and history records how he there illustrated his State, and glad dened the hearts of her people by his gallant deeds. ' • The Chatham Artillery, then a part of his command, earnestly solio ited to be allowed to follow their general to the field of battle. Their application was warmly seconded by General Lawton, but was refused because their services were -deemed absolutely necessary on the seacoast of Georgia. • . On December 12, 1862, when by the exertions of Captain Claghorn the battery had been raised to the number of one hundred and sixty-five men, the animals carefully trained and all the appointments of the bat tery in excellent order, he resigneji the command of the company to ac cept the appointment of lieutenant-colonel and ordnance officer upon the staff of Major-General Gustavus W. Smith, commanding the Georgia militia and the State forces. Passing through all the dangers of the. war, Captain Claghorn died at his own home, in the city of Savannah, on April 8, 1879. honored, respected and beloved, having been as a man, all that wife, child, or friend could hope for. He was buried by the Chatham Artillery with military honors, leaving no ex-captain of the company sur viving but John £. Ward. The vacancy occasioned by the resignation of Captain Claghorn was filled by the -promotion of the then Junior First Lieutenant ]obm F. Wbeaton to the captaincy, who is yet the honored commander, having been captain for more than one-quarter of the entire period of the exist ence of the corps. so *

f
394

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

r John F. Wheaton was born at Gilford, New Haven county, in the State • of Connecticut, on January 22, 1822. After a short residence at Hart'/ ford and Bridgeport in his native State, he came to Savannah in 1852, and having^elected this as his home, has been one of its most useful and valued citizens for more than one-third of a century. He became a member of the Chatham Artillery in May, 1856, was appointed chairman of the armory committee, 1859, which position he has held from that time up to the present During that period the entire debt for the original cost of the armory, about $12,000, under his judicious management has been retired. A large amount has been expended in repairs to the ar mory building, the company's quarters have been comfortably and taste fully furnished, and the armory has been improved at an expense of about $7,000. He was elected a corporal of the company in 1859. promoted to secI ond sergeant in May, 1861, to orderly sergeant in February, 1862, to junior first lieutenant May, 1862, and to the captaincy in November, 1862. Captain Wheaton assumed command not on a holiday parade, not amid the pomp and pageantry of mimic war, not in the hour of sunshine, bat when the roar of battle was sounding, when danger stood in every path, when death lurked in every corner. Faithfully and fearlessly, from that period to the present time, has he discharged everyjfoligation resting upon him, as a soldier amid the carn age of battle, onBitizen treading the path of duty, encompassed by the "Pestilence that^Hlketh in darkness, V or as the chief officer of the city. Immediately aftefSssuming command of the company the battery was ordered to James island in Charleston harbor, and there for two years it endured all the hardships and participated in all the engagements and skirmishes that there occurred, serving at Battery Wagner with detach ments of thirty men during the most eventful month of the memorable siege of that fort. Transferred from the coast of South Carolina to the everglades of Florida, under the command of General Colquitt, the company was en gaged in the famous battle of Olustee, where by thesk4U{ul handling of their battery they greatly contributed to the winning of that glorious victory. It participated in the reconnoissance and engagement at Cedar Creek and at Colombia, S. C. Retreating with General Johnston's army

MILITARY ORGANIZATIONS.

395

through South Carolina from Columbia to Smithville, thence to Raleigh and thence to Greensborough, where it was surrendered in April, 1865, with Johnston's entire command. Immediately after the surrender the company was marched to Augusta, Ga., where it was disbanded as a Confederate organization. Thus, from the time when the curtain rose at Pulaski to its fall at Greensborough, the Chatham Artillery was no bly performing its part in this great drama which had fixed the atten tion of the world for four years, and been baptized in the blood of thou- * sands engaged in constant and active service, enduring cheerfully every privation, fearlessly encountering every danger, and during the most try ing periods led by John F. Wheaton as commander. During the dark days of reconstruction the company was not permitted to retain its military character, yet all the members assembled in citi- ) zens dress whenever summoned by their officers for the transaction of business. Although their armory was seized by the forces of the United States in December, 1864. and placed under the control of the Freedman's Bureau until June, 1868, the interest due on the armory's scrip was at all times paid, and the general welfare of the organization was carefully looked after and attended to. The social characteristics that had so long been features of the company, were retained and continued during that humiliating period. OR February 22, 1866, the company gave a grand ( picnic, and since that date has given one every year, in which its mem bers, their families and friends participated. On January 19, 1872, the anniversary of the birthday of General Rob ert £. Lee, the company made its first uniformed appearance after the war, and since that date has paraded on all its regular parade days on all public occasions, retaining in its advanced age its true military bear ing, its social instincts, its patriotic and public spirit, remaining true to the principles that actuated the fathers and promoters of this grand old asso ciation from its organization. As soon after the surrender of the Confederate army as the nature of the case and the exigency of the times would permit, the company was reorganized upon a peace basis. Their Washington guns, which had been carefully buried and concealed during the war, were resurrected from I their hiding-place, and remounted and restored to their former position as honorary field-pieces of the battery. The old spirit still survived,

396

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

and the Chatham Artillery was again restored to its pristine vigor and its high reputation among the volunteer companies of Savannah. The objects of the founders of this military organization are thus expressed in the preamble to the rules and regulations of the company: "Impressed with a firm belief that the safety of the glorious institu tions under which we live, and which have been bequeathed to us as a sacred and inestimable legacy, purchased by the blood and toil of the fathers of the Republic, depends upon a well regulated and strictly dis ciplined militia, and that such a militia is especially necessary in the com• munity in which we live, from the peculiar character of our population which renders it necessary to be always prepared, and ever on the alert to meet a danger which may have its being among us without our knowl edge, and may break forth in our most unsuspecting moments; fully con vinced that it is the duty of every citizen to contribute not only to the pe cuniary exigencies of his country when demanded, but to be prepared in times of danger when the peace and welfare and dignity of that country are threatened to interpose his person as a shield and safeguard between her and dishonor; that to obtain this laudable and honorable object, a proper organization and a strict bond of union and action are required as well in peace as in war, and that a corps devoted to the service of field arm ory is an honorable, important and efficient branch of the national or State defense, affording the best opportunities to render valuable those services which it is our duty and desire to proffer to our beloved country on all occasions when the support of her right or interest may demand them, we the officers, noncommissioned officers and privates of the Chatham Artillery whose names are hereunto subscribed for the purposes above recited, and with a view to obtain a knowledge of military tactics, and especially that portion more particularly embraced under the title of our association, do hereby solemnly agree to the following rules of the gov ernment of the Chatham Artillery, and we do hereby pledge our honor, for which our signature is witness, that we will to the best of our ability and understanding devote ourselves to the advancement of the interests of the corps, to which we have voluntarily attached ourselves by all hon orable means, and ardently co-operate in the increase of its strength, re spectability and discipline, and that we will foster and maintain senti ments of respect and affection towards each other as soldiers and citizens,

MILITARY ORGANIZATIONS.

397

and united as a band of brothers, devote ourselves, when occasion re quires it, to the service of our Country." It may in just pride be affirmed that the members of this ancient com pany have under all circumstances and on all occasions endeavored to redeem the pledges and maintain the sentiments thus early given and recorded. Surviving the vicissitudes of fortune and the shock of battle this organization after more than a century's existence, is still bouyant in spirit and strong in membership. The total strength of the company, rank and file, is fifty-eight men. The implements of war consist of two six-pounders, presented by General George Washington, one howitzer, one light six-pounder, and one gatling gun. The officers are: John F. Wheaton, captain; R. F. Harmon, senior first lieutenant; G. P. Walker, junior firstf lieutenant; J. R. Saussy, second lieutenant; I. A. Solomons, orderly sergeant; T. N. Theus, ordnance sergeant; E. E. Buckner, quar termaster sergeant; J. B. Law, guidon sergejmt; J. S. Silva, secretary; J. F, La Far, treasurer. Savannah Volunteer Guards. This is the oldest infantry corps in Georgia. It was organized as a company early in 1802, and was at- / tached to the First Regiment, First Brigade, First Division of the Georgia Militia. Its first parade was on May I, 1802, and it has ever since adopted and observed that day as its anniversary. On the 2Oth of the same month the corps took part in the reception extended to vice-Presi dent Aaron Burr. The uniform at that time was blue, trimmed with red, with gold bars across the breast .Dr. John Cummings was the first captain of the Guards. He was an Irishman by .birth—one of the leading and most influential merchants of Savannah at that time, and president of the Branch Bank of the United States. He was lost at sea on board the steamer Pulaski, on a trip from Savannah to Baltimore. Captain Cummings resigned in 1808, and was succeeded by Captain James Marshall. During Captain Marshall's command the War of 1812 with Great Britain occurred, and the Guards with the other companies of Savannah composing the First Regiment were mustered into the service of the United States for local defense, and at one time a portion of the Guards with the Republican Blues were sent on an expedition against St. Augustine. We are unable to ascertain how long Captain Marshall con-

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.
tinued to command the Guards. He afterwards became colonel of the regiment, and was so, as late as 1825. He was succeeded, however, as captain of the Guards by Frederick S. Fell, who had been first lieutenant of the company. In 1818 Edward F. Tattnall was elected commander. Captain Tattnall was of the family of Tattnalls so distinguished in the history of Georgia. His father was Josiah Tattnall, who had been the third cap tain of the Chatham Artillery, colonel of the First Regiment Georgia Militia, general of the First Brigade, United States Senator from Georgia, and governor of the State. He was the elder and only brother of the celebrated Commodore Josiah Tattnall, who, himself, was a member of the Guards from his early manhood to his death, and whose remains they attended to their last resting place at Bonaventure on June 16, 1871. Captain Tattnall hao^been a captain in the United States army in the war of 1812, and had greatly distinguished himself in an engagement with the British at Point Petre, near St. Mary's, Ga. Captain Tattnall entered upon the command of the guards vigorously and with zeal. He was evidently a born soldier; and, though a strict disciplinarian and very exacting in his requirements, he soon secured the absolute devotion of his command, and, infusing into it much of his own high, chivalric spirit, enhanced, if he did not create, that intense and admirable esprit de corps which has ever since been one of its chief characteristics. Under his leadership it attained a degree of efficiency and prosperity it had never known before, and received an impulse which it has not yet lost. He may be considered, in the largest sense, " the second founder " of the corps. On the occasion of President James Monroe's visit to Savannah on May 8, 1819, the Savannah Volunteer Guards, under his command, took part in the reception and parade. The second uniform adopted by the company was blue, trimmed and slashed with scarlet, and a full scar let front—very similar to the uniform of the French gens d'arme at one time. And, in this connection, a pleasant incident is related as occur ring on the occasion of Lafayette's visit to Savannah during his Ameri can tour in 1825. It appears that the distinguished visitor landed at the foot of East Broad street. A contemporary account says: "The troops were placed in position on the green, in front of the avenue of trees, their right on

MILITARY ORGANIZATIONS.

399

East Bay. A more gallant and splendid military display we have never seen; the effect was beautiful; every corps exceeded its customary num bers; many who had not appeared under arms for years shouldered them on this occasion, and the usual pride of appearance .and honorable emu lation was ten times increased by the occasion. Those who know the volunteer companies of Savannah will believe this to be no empty com pliment" The incident referred ,to is that, as Lafayette passed down the line,, he reached Tattnall with his Guards, and either affected by the sight I of a uniform so familiar to him in his own country, or attracted by the fine appearance of the company, he threw up both hands, and, with sparkling eyes, exclaimed, " Ah ! quels beaux soldats\ qnels beaux sold' ats\" Captain Tattnall continued in command until January, 1831, and after an interval of some time was succeeded by Joseph W. Jackspn. . Cap- / tain Jackson was a lawyer, a member of Congress and one of the most distinguished men of his day. His successor was William Robertson, proprietor, of the Savannah Daify Georgian, who assumed command in November, 1836. Captain Robertson held his commission but a few months, resigning in July, 1837. He was succeeded by William P. Bo wen, under whom was procured an act of the Legislature authorizing the corps to half pay members, the object of which was to lay the foun dation of a fund with which at some future day, to build an armory or arsenal Captain Bowen resigned in 1844, when he was succeeded by Dr. Cosmo P. Richardsone, who was elevated to the position from the rank ' of private. Captain Richardsone proved to be an officer of extraordin ary merit. -During his term occurred the incorporation of the corps which in another part of the chapter is more fully discussed. Captain Richardsone died while holding the position of Captain of the Guards. He was dearly beloved by every member of the corps and his death was in the nature of a personal loss. He was buried with military honors on j February, 8, 1852. Dr. James P. Screven, an exempt private, was elected the next Cap tain of the Guards, the first position of a public character he had ever' consented to take. Soon, however, he became in quick succession,

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.
mayor of the city, member of the State Senate and first president 1 Savannah, Albany and Gulf Railroad Company, now known as the Sa vannah, Florida and Western Railway. Dr. Screven's pressing public ( and private engagements induced him to resign in December, 1857, when he was succeeded by his eldest son, the present distinguished citizen of Savannah, Colonel John Screvcn. Under the administration of Captain Screven the corps made rapid advance in all the avenues which mark the proficiency of a military or ganization. The first event of importance during the command of Cap' tain John Screven was the acquisition of an armory. This was secured in 1859 by the purchase of the old Unitarian Church on the southeast ern corner of Bull and York streets. It required some time and expense to prepare the building for the use of the corps, but it was finally con verted into pleasaot military quarters. During the occupation of the city by Sberman in 1864, it was used by some of his troops as a guard house. Through their carelessness it took' fire and was destroyed. Soon after the acquisition of an- armory a very rapid increase in the members of die corps began to take place, and it not infrequently hap pened that at an afternoon drill one hundred and fifty men or more would be out—a number quite too large to be handled with convenience as a-sjngle company. This state of attains gave rise to the idea of form ing an independent battalion. Steps were immediately taken to carry it into.-eftect While preparations to form a battalion were going on South Carolina seceded from the Union, and on January 3, 1861, as related in the chap ter devoted to the war period, fifty men of the Guards under Captain Screven, the Oglethorpe Light Infantry and the Chatham Artillery were taken by Colonel Lawton under orders from Governor Brown, and ef fected the seizure of Fort Pulaski. From this time for several months the volunteer companies took turns at Fort Pulaski The Guards were there several times. While these events were in progress, recruits rapidly poured in and the Guards hastened to effect the permanent battalion organization. The plan was to form two companies, A and B, by assigning members to them; and complete the organization by formal elections for officers, and to elect Captain Screven major of the battalion. But at .this juncture

MILITARY ORGANIZATIONS.

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the then adjutant-general of the State maintained that there could aot be a battalion of so few companies as two, commanded by a field t>fficer. To obviate this difficulty as many officers as were necessary consented to go one grade lower. Thus organized, the officers of the corps, if it may be so styled at that time, were as follows: Captain John Screven, cap tain commanding company A; first lieutenant, W. S. Basinger; second lieutenant, Gilbert C. Rice; ensign, J. C. Habersham. Company B; captain, A. C. Davenport; first lieutenant, George W. Stiles; second lieutenant. Thomas F. Screven; ensign, M. H. Hopkins. The battalion was mustered into the service of the Confederate States in March, iT86i, for two months, and during this period was assigned, to duty as the garrison of a battery at Thunderbolt At the end of this time the corps returned to Savannah and was dismissed, but shortly after it was again mustered for six months, and immediately sent to take charge of a much heavier battery on Green Island, near the mouth of the Vernon River. At the end of their second period of enlistment the members of the corps resolved to again muster for the war. They were informed that the battalion would be accepted as an independent organization and a field officer to command, if three companies could be formed. A third company was formed by taking as many members from Companies A and B as could be spared. The following officers were then chosen: Company A, captain, W. S. Basinger; first lieutenant, Thomas F. Scre ven ; second lieutenants, William H. King and Frederick Tapper. Com pany B, captain, George W. Stiles; first lieutenant, Edward Padelford, jr.; second lieutenants, Edwin A. Castellaw and George D. Smith. Company C, captain, -Gilbert C. Rice; first lieutenant, George M. Tur ner ; second lieutenants, John R. Dillon and Eugene Blots. The organ ization was approved by the adjutant -genera^ of ttye State, and commis sions were issued to the officers above named. The corps was mustered, into service for the war in March, 1862. This terminated the connection of the Guards with the first volunteer regiment. John Screven was com missioned by the Confederate government major of artillery, and assigned by General A. R. Lawton to the command of the Savannah Voitmtetr Guards Battalion. The first service of this corps as a separate battalion was at Fort Boggp, 51 '.'••"

t

402

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

a fine large work on the bluff, about two miles below the city, overlook ing Fort Jackson and the river, and constituting the extreme left of the inner line of defense. In the spring of 1863 Major Screven resigned the command of the battalion as the management of the Atlantic and Gulf Railroad—a line of communication and supply very important to the Con federate government—required as president, his personal attention. Cap tain Basinger succeeded him as major, Lieutenant T. F. Screven became captain of Company A, and the other officers went up each one grade, Sergeant P. N. Raynal being elected to the junior lieutenancy. The battalion remained in charge of Fort Boggs until July, 1863, when it was sent with the First Volunteer Regiment and the Twelfth Georgia Battalion to reinforce the troops at Battery Wagner, and in the celebrated siege of July 11, took a prominent part, four of the Guards be ing killed and three wounded. Battery Wagner was abandoned late in August, 1863, and the Guards were ordered to Sullivan's Island to occupy Battery Marion. Here it remained until the following May, and during this period the troops were under almost constant fire. In May, 1864, the Guards were ordered to Virginia to join the army of General Lee. Arriving in Virginia the corps was stationed at Mattoax to guard the bridge where the Richmond and Danville Railroad crosses the Appomattox River. In this sort of duty the corps remained until the following October. It was then ordered to the general line of the army and posted in the trenches on the north side of the James River, near Chaffin Bluff. Here the Guards passed the severe winter of 1864—5, enduring every hardship to which the illy equipped Confederate troops were subjected during this trying time. When General Lee's army was forced to abandon Richmond in April, 1865, fears for the result of the war began to creep into the minds of the most sanguine. Th's famous retreating march of General Lee was continued for several days, but on .April 6 the rear guard was brought to bay near Sailor's Creek. General Gordon's corps was the true rear guard, but in the various operations and movements of that day General^ Ewell's corps got into the rear by force of circumstances. Gener.il Custer1 Lee's division, to which the Guards were attached, was in General Ewell's corps. In the battle at Sailor's Creek the Guards took a prominent part, be ing placed so as to receive the first onset of the enemy. The attack was

MILITARY ORGANISATIONS.
unsuccessful, the enemy being driven off with the loss of two regimental flags and many killed, but with serious loss to the Guards also. The bat talion then returned to the original line to take its part in the main bat tle. But again they were put in the same manner as before. The enemy was checked, but all of the Guards who escaped with their lives were made prisoners. It was afterwards ascertained that the enemy lost in the encounter 275 men, and of the Guards numbering 85 men engaged, 30 were killed and 22 wounded, every officer but one being killed or wounded. The killed were buried on the field by the enemy. The remains of such as could be identified were, at a laTer day, brought to SavannalTand buried in the lot of the corps at Laurel GroVe cemetery. The survivors were sent —the wounded to hospitals, the unwounded to Northern prisons—some to Point Lookout, the major and lieutenant-general to Johnson's Island. But the closing scene of the great struggle was then taking place, and a few days after the battle of Sailor's Creek, the surrender of General Lee's army ended the war. The members of the Guards held as prisoners of war were soon after released and sadly wended their way homeward, to face as best they could the new difficulties that lay before them. After the close of the war no effort was made to reorganize any of the volunteer military companies of Savannah as long as the "carpet-bag " government was in power. The Guards by occasional meetings and by at tending in a body the funerals of deceased members, endeavored to main tain their corporate existence, and to preserve their property. But when James M. Smith became governor of the State—his elevation being the virtual overthrow of the "carpet-bag" government—the corps, encouraged by him, determined to resume its usual functions. A large number of new men joined, officers were elected, the present uniforms adopted, and on the ipth day of January, 1873, the first parade of the corps after the war occurred. Major Basinger was re-elected to command the corps, and in 1879, m pursuance of a law of the State then passed which required all battalion commanders to be lieutenant-colonels, such a commission was sent to him, and the corps was numbered third in the list of volun teer infantry battalions. Colonel Basinger resigned in August, 1882, and Lieutenant-Colonel William Garrard, the present popular commander, was elected to succeed him. Colonel Basinger was a member of the corps for thirty-one years,

pany B, Captain, Thomas Screven; first lieutenant, T. D. Rockwell; second lieutenant, G. S. Orme; first sergeant, G. M. Gadsden. Com pany C, Captain, John Reiily; first lieutenant, W. W. Rogers; second lieutenant/G. W. Cann ; first sergeant, J. Ferris Cann. .Soon after the election of Lieu tenant-Colonel Garrard steps were taken to provide for the battalion a suitable armory building. The loca tion secured was the site of the old State arsenal. In 1885 the erection of the building was commenced and one year later the armory was thrown open to the public on the occasion of a grand bazaar. It was 110 feet long, 60 feet in width and 64 feet from the street pavement to the deck of the domed roof and had three fronts, facing north on Presi dent street, west on Whitaker street, and south on York street. The cost of erection was about $60,000, and it was considered the finest military building in the South. This fine structure, which was no less the pride of the battalion than of the citizens of Savannah, was totally destroyed by the destructive fire of April 6, 1889. It was insured for $50,000, and with characteristic energy the battalion has begun preparation to erect a new armory which will rival in beauty the one destroyed. The Guards have erected monuments to two of their deceased commanders. The first is a plain marble shaft in Bonaventure Cemetery (formerly the family seat of the Tattnalls) to Captain Tattnall, and bears the following inscription on its westerh face : SACRED to the memory of EDWARD FENWICK TATTNALL,
' who died in Savannah, on the 21st day of November, 1832, aged 44 years. Erected by the Savannah Volunteer Guards, which corps he for a period of years commanded, as a tribute of affection for his qualities as a Man, a Soldier, and a Patriot. Muttcia parva quidtm, sed magnum testantur amorem.

Near by, in the same enclosure, is the tomb of his brother, Commo dore Josiah Tattnall, one of the most honored of the honorary members

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406

HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.

of the Guards. On this significantly rests the effigy of a sheathed sword, and i£ bears the following inscription: COMMODORE JOSIAH TATTNALL, U. S. AND C S. N.
Born near this spot Nov. 8, 1785. Died June 14, 1871.

The second monument erected by the corps is in Laurel Grove Ceme tery to Capt. Richardsone—a tasteful marble shaft with the following in scriptions. On the eastern face: "Erected by the Savannah Volunteer Guards in token of their regard for a beloved commander, and of their admiration for his virtues as a citizen." On the western face, on a shield within a bay wreath supported on cannon: "Cosmo P. Richard sone." On the southern face: "Born January 24th, 1804." On the northern face : "Died February 6th, 1852." Within a few feet of the resting place of Captain Richardsone is that of his friend and immediate successor in command, Captain J. P. Screven. In Laurel Grove Cemetery the Guards hold two burial lots, numbers 46 and 726.'-, In the former are interred Privates S. F. Ripley and John D. Carter, who died .of yellow fever respectively in 1854 and 1876, and Privates T. L. Robertson, John Maddox, John Johnson, A. F. Whitlock and James D. Pardue. In this lot also is one grave containing the re mains of eleven members of the battalion, who fell at Sailor's Creek, the last battle of the Army of Virginia, namely : King, Turner, Rice, Abney, Mclntosh, Rouse, Millert, Gordon, Vi